Patent ID: 7958818
Filing Date: 2011-06-14
Classification: A23C

Abstract:
1. A soy curding apparatus for continuously producing soy curd from soy milk, the apparatus comprising: a pump for continuously pumping soy milk and formed soy curd; a coagulator dispensing means for adding a coagulant to the soy milk to form a soymilk coagulant mixture; an expansion chamber means to allow the soymilk coagulant mixture pumped thereto to mix further and to produce a pre-soy curd mixture, wherein the expansion chamber slows down the soymilk coagulant mixture to effect a drop in pressure to increase particulate size of the curd; a maturing means adapted to receive the pre-soy curd mixture and to allow further mixing and maturing of the pre soy curd mixture, wherein the pre-soy curd mixture matures to form soy curd of a desired consistency and particular size; a whey separating means positioned downstream of the maturing means for separating any whey from the soy curd formed in the maturing means; a tower adapted to receive the soy curd separated from the whey by the whey separating means, said tower further adapted to remove any residual whey from the soy curd to form a plug of soy curd in the tower of a desired consistency and moisture content, wherein the tower is further adapted to cut the soy curd plug to form a block of soy curd at a downstream end of the tower; and a conveyor adapted to receive and transport the block of soy curd from the tower.