Patent ID: 7758905
Filing Date: 2010-07-20
Classification: A01J,A21C

Abstract:
1. A method for forming bulk cheese into extruded portions of cheese comprising: forming a generally homogenous cheese mass from a plurality of cheese pieces; advancing at least some of the generally homogenous cheese mass into a portioning chamber, the portioning chamber having a volume, an entrance, an exit and a metering chamber disposed between the entrance and exit, the metering chamber having a volume smaller than the volume of the portioning chamber; blocking the exit of the portioning chamber; filling the portioning chamber with some of the generally homogenous cheese mass, such that the metering chamber also fills with some of the generally homogenous cheese mass; blocking the entrance of the portioning chamber; unblocking the exit of the portioning chamber after filling the metering chamber with the generally homogenous cheese mass; and emptying the metering chamber to extrude some of the generally homogenous cheese mass through the exit of the portioning chamber and through a die plate downstream thereof, thereby forming an extruded cheese portion.