Abstract:
A cheese extruding machine and process for producing pieces of cheese of an exact weight directly from unaged or semi-aged cheese curds of semi-hard and hard cheeses. The cheese extruding machine includes a standard screw-type vacuum filler which receives large blocks of compressed curds, grinds the blocks into pieces, and compresses the curds into an airless, homogenous cheese flow without significantly damaging the curds. The cheese flow is forced through an elongate cheese forming tube of a desired cross-sectional shape for the cheese. A water jacket disposed about a second half of the cheese forming tube chills the periphery of the cheese flow to increase the firmness and maintain the shape of the cheese flow upon extrusion from the cheese forming tube. Frictional engagement between the cheese flow and the cheese forming tube produces back-pressure against the vacuum filler to maintain the cheese flow at a predetermined extrusion pressure and consistent density. A cutting device disposed at the end of the cheese forming tube cuts the extruded cheese flow into the exact weight pieces of cheese based on rate of cheese flow from the vacuum filler.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Technical Field  
           [0002]    Generally, the invention relates to a machine and process for producing pieces of cheese from blocks of compressed curds. Particularly, the invention relates to a cheese extruding machine and process for producing pieces of cheese of an exact net weight from the blocks of compressed curds. Specifically, the invention relates to a cheese extruding machine and process for producing pieces of cheese of an exact weight directly from unaged or semi-aged cheese curds of semi-hard and hard cheeses from which the whey has been drained and compressed to form the cheese blocks.  
           [0003]    2. Background Information  
           [0004]    Cheese is a common food product used as appetizers such as on crackers and nachos, or cooked in foods such as pizza, lasagna, and a wide variety of other foods too numerous to list. There is a wide variety of cheeses available, including soft cheeses such as cream cheese, semi-hard cheeses such as Cheddar, Colby, Monterey Jack, Low Moisture Mozzarella, Low Moisture Provolone, Lace Swiss, and various flavor varieties thereof, and hard cheeses such as Romano, Low Moisture Cheddar and Parmesan.  
           [0005]    All such cheeses are made primarily from milk to which a starter culture of microbes is added to form cultured milk in a heated mixing kettle. The cultured milk is ripened by heating and stirring, and rennet added to curdle the cultured milk into a mixture of gelatinous curds and liquid whey. The curds in the mixture are cut up in the kettle into smaller curds and the mixture is heated to cook the curds. The mixture is transferred to a curd separation device such as an elongate table which drains the liquid whey from the mixture. The remaining curds on the table with any residual whey clinging to the curds are stirred to lower the pH of the curds. Salt is added to the curds and they are stirred to form salted curds.  
           [0006]    The salted curds with residual whey are placed in a cheese forming tower forming a cheese column to compress the curds to remove the residual whey and produce solid cheese. The cheese forming towers are sold by many manufactures and are typically about thirty feet tall in order to form a cheese column of about the same height, and use the weight of the cheese column to expel the residual whey and compress the curds at a lower portion of the cheese column into solid cheese. A guillotine type horizontal cutter is used to chop off the solid cheese into large cheese blocks weighing about 40 lbs. each. The cheese blocks are aged in a cooler for a period of at least 7 days to more than 4 months, depending on the type of cheese being produced. During the aging process the cheese blocks lose water, crack, and lose uniformity of density. Following aging, the cheese blocks are sent to a cheese cutting factory where they are cut up into smaller consumer-size pieces of cheese and packaged such as in plastic wrap or bags. These consumer-size pieces of cheese are typically between about a half-pound to one pound in net weight, though they vary in weight due to the lost water, cracks, and non-uniform density caused by the aging process.  
           [0007]    Although the current cheese production machines and processes are adequate for the purpose for which they were intended, they have some serious shortcomings. Firstly, the consumer size pieces of cheese vary considerably in weight. This results in time-consuming hand-weighing of the individual pieces of cheese, or additional cost by cutting the pieces of cheese slightly larger than necessary to assure a minimum net weight. Secondly, the process is not a continuous process from curd to consumer-size pieces of cheese production, with the aging period which interrupts the production cycle. The aging of the cheese blocks also requires large areas of costly refrigerated storage space often for many months for each batch of cheese blocks.  
           [0008]    Therefore, the need exists for an improved cheese production machine and process which produces the pieces of cheese of an exact weight directly from large cheese blocks. The machine and process should eliminate storage and aging of the large in-process-sized cheese blocks for later cutting into consumer-sized pieces of cheese. The machine and process should utilize existing machinery to save on machinery costs. The cheese produced should final age after packaging substantially without changing net weight.  
         BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0009]    Objectives of the invention include providing a cheese production machine and process which produces consumer-sized pieces of cheese of an exact net weight.  
           [0010]    Another objective is to provide a cheese production machine and process which produces the pieces of cheese of an exact weight directly from unaged or semi-aged cheese curds of semi-hard and hard cheeses.  
           [0011]    A further objective is to provide a cheese production machine and process which compresses the cheese curds to a uniform density to facilitate precise net weights upon being extruded.  
           [0012]    Still another objective is to provide a cheese production machine and process which eliminates storage and aging of the large in-process-sized cheese blocks for later cutting into consumer-sized pieces of cheese.  
           [0013]    These objectives and advantages are obtained by an improved cheese extruding machine, a cheese manufacturing line which utilizes the cheese extruding machine, and a process for producing cheese of the present invention, all for producing pieces of cheese of an exact weight.  
           [0014]    The general nature of the cheese extruding machine for producing pieces of cheese of an exact weight directly from unaged or semi-aged cheese curds of semi-hard and hard cheeses from which the whey has been drained and compressed to form large in-process-sized cheese blocks may be stated as including: a filler; an elongate cheese forming tube; and a cooling device. The filler includes an input hopper which receives the cheese blocks and a cutter which grinds the cheese blocks from the hopper into smaller cheese pieces. A feed device compresses the cheese pieces substantially without damaging the curds into a uniform, homogeneous cheese flow while removing air therefrom. The cheese flow is output at a cheese output of the filler. The cheese forming tube has a predetermined internal cross-sectional shape with a first end affixable to the filler at the cheese outlet to receive the cheese flow. A second end of the cheese forming tube extrudes the cheese flow in the cross-sectional shape for slicing to predetermined lengths. The cooling device chills the cheese forming tube to chill the periphery of the cheese flow to increase the firmness and maintain the shape of the cheese flow upon extrusion from the second end of the cheese forming tube. Frictional engagement between the cheese flow and the cheese forming tube produces back-pressure against the feed device to maintain the cheese flow within the cheese forming tube at the second end at a predetermined extrusion pressure. This produces consistent density for cut off at predetermined lengths forming finished, exact weight pieces of cheese which may be immediately packaged and which age in the package without substantially changing weight.  
           [0015]    A preferred cheese extruding machine has a vacuum filler which reduces pressure of the air around the cheese pieces to remove the air from the cheese pieces as the cheese flow is formed. The feed device comprises a pair of feed screws having respective parallel drive shafts driven to rotate together with respective spiral threads intermeshing, the filler further including a merge tube which includes the cheese outlet. The merge tube transitions the cheese flow from the feed screws into the cheese forming tube. The cooling device comprises a water jacket disposed about the cheese forming tube which utilizes chilled water to cool the cheese flow. A cutting device to which the second end of the cheese forming tube is affixable is adapted to cut the cheese flow extruded from the second end into the exact weight pieces of cheese based on rate of cheese flow from the filler.  
           [0016]    The general nature of the cheese manufacturing line for producing pieces of cheese of an exact weight from raw ingredients including pasteurized milk, a starter culture of microbes, and rennet may be stated as including: a heated mixing container; a curd separator; a cheese formation tower; and the cheese extruding machine. The mixing container has an interior chamber for containing the raw ingredients and resulting curd-whey mixture, and a heating device to heat the raw ingredients to desired temperatures. A movable beater is disposable in the interior chamber to agitate the raw ingredients and cut the curd. The curd separator has a curd support surface to receive the curd-whey mixture from the mixing container and drain off the whey, leaving curds with residual whey. The cheese formation tower has an upright outer casing of a tubular configuration with an upper end to receive the curds from outlet pipe and an open lower end. The tower forms a cheese column therein to drain the residual whey and compress the curds at a bottom portion of the cheese column to form solid cheese. A cutting blade is disposed adjacent the bottom portion of the cheese column to cut cheese blocks therefrom. The cheese extruding machine is of the type described above and utilizes the cheese blocks.  
           [0017]    A preferred cheese manufacturing line includes a curd pump having an inlet to receive the curds with residual whey from the curd separator and pump them through an outlet pipe to an outlet opening thereof connectable to the cheese formation tower. The curd pump includes a screw shaft mounted within a housing which includes respective external wire-form threads which are oppositely wound and adapted to feed the curds inwardly of the screw shaft into the inlet. A pump is adapted to pump the curds and residual whey through the outlet pipe to the outlet opening thereof.  
           [0018]    The general nature of a first process for producing pieces of cheese of an exact weight directly from unaged or semi-aged cheese curds of semi-hard and hard cheeses from which the whey has been drained and compressed to form large in-process-sized cheese blocks may be stated as including the steps of: grinding the cheese blocks into smaller cheese pieces; compressing the cheese pieces into a cheese flow; moving the cheese flow through an elongate cheese forming tube of a predetermined internal cross-sectional shape to form and maintain the cheese flow in the cross-sectional shape; cooling at least a portion of the cheese forming tube to chill the periphery of the cheese flow; extruding the cooled cheese flow from an end of the cheese forming pipe; and cutting the cheese flow extruded from the end of the cheese forming pipe. The cheese pieces are compressed substantially without damaging the curds into a uniform, homogeneous cheese flow while removing air therefrom. Frictional engagement between the cheese flow and the cheese forming tube produce back-pressure within the cheese forming tube to maintain the cheese flow at the extruding end thereof at a predetermined extrusion pressure for consistent density of the cheese flow. The chilling of the periphery of the cheese flow increase the firmness and maintains the cross-sectional shape of the cheese flow. The cutting of the cheese flow extruded from the end of the cheese forming pipe is based on the rate of cheese flow from the filler, forming finished, exact weight pieces of cheese which may be immediately packaged and which age in the package without substantially changing weight.  
           [0019]    In a preferred first process for producing the pieces of cheese of an exact weight, the step of compressing the cheese pieces is conducted using a filler device having at least one feed screw and under reduced pressure of the air around the cheese pieces to remove the air from the cheese pieces as the cheese flow is formed. The cheese pieces are initially at a temperature of about 86° F. The filler device has a pair of feed screws having respective parallel drive shafts driven to rotate together with respective spiral threads intermeshing. The threads increase in thickness from respective input ends to respective output ends so as to decrease respective inter-thread spaces to gradually increase the pressure on the cheese in the inter-thread spaces as the cheese progresses from the input ends to the output ends. The cheese forming tube used in the step of moving the cheese flow through the cheese forming tube is about 18 feet long. The step of cooling the cheese forming tube comprises cooling a second half of the cheese forming tube using a cooling jacket disposed about the cheese forming tube which utilizes chilled water to cool the cheese flow. The cheese flow is cooled to an internal temperature of about 84° F. and an external temperature of about 45° F.  
           [0020]    The general nature of a second process for producing pieces of cheese of an exact weight from raw ingredients including pasteurized milk, a starter culture of microbes, and rennet may be stated as including the steps of: forming a curd-whey mixture from the raw ingredients; draining liquid whey from the curd-whey mixture leaving curds with residual whey; forming a cheese column of the curds with residual whey in a cheese formation tower to force out the liquid whey and form solid cheese; and cutting cheese blocks of the solid cheese from the bottom portion of the cheese column which are fed into the first process for producing pieces of cheese of an exact weight. The forming of the cheese column uses the weight of the curds to force out the liquid whey and compress the curds at a bottom portion of the cheese column into solid cheese.  
           [0021]    In a preferred second process for producing the pieces of cheese of an exact weight, the step of forming a curd-whey mixture includes the steps of: combining the pasteurized milk and the starter culture of microbes to form cultured milk for producing a batch of cheese; ripening the cultured milk by heating and stirring for about one-half hour at a temperature of about 90° F.; dropping the pH of the cultured milk; adding rennet to curdle the cultured milk into a mixture of gelatinous curds and liquid whey; cutting up the curds in the mixture into smaller curds; and heating the mixture to a temperature of between about 103° F. to 104° F. for about thirty minutes to cook the curds. The step of draining liquid whey from the curd-whey mixture includes the steps of: stirring the curds with residual whey to lower the pH of the curds to between about 5.7 to 5.9; and adding salt to the curds and stirring to form salted curds. The step of forming the cheese column of the curds includes removal of the residual whey by at least a portion of the cheese column being exposed to a pressure below atmospheric to expedite the removal of the residual whey from the curds. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0022]    The preferred embodiments of the invention, illustrative of the best mode in which applicant has contemplated applying the principles, are set forth in the following description and are shown in the drawings and are particularly and distinctly pointed out and set forth in the appended claims.  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of the cheese extruding machine of the present invention including a vacuum filler and a cheese cooling system, as used with conventional cheese manufacturing equipment in a batch process of making cheese in a cheese manufacturing plant;  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the extruder partially cut away to show a large cheese block being placed inside a hopper which houses a spiral grinding blade, with a pair of feed screws, a merge tube, and a cheese forming tube also shown;  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line  3 - 3  of FIG. 2, showing the inter-engagement of the feed screws;  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the extruder of FIG. 2 showing the large cheese block being ground up into smaller pieces of cheese inside the cheese-receiving funnel by the spiral cutting blade, and fed by the feed screws through the merge tube and into the cheese forming tube;  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of a water jacket of the cheese cooling system disposed about the cheese forming pipe, shown in partial longitudinal cross-section with the opposite flow directions of the cheese flow and the cooling water;  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 6 is a lateral vertical sectional view of the water jacket and cheese forming pipe taken along line  6 - 6  of FIG. 5 as used to produce round mini-horns of cheese;  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 7 is a lateral vertical sectional view of the water jacket and an alternate cheese extrusion pipe corresponding to FIG. 6 as used to produce pie-shaped pieces of cheese; and  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of the cheese extrusion pipe with water jacket as connected to a cheese cutter and bagger, showing extruded and bagged consumer size pieces of cheese being carried away on a conveyor.  
         [0031]    Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0032]    The cheese extruding machine of the present invention is shown in FIG. 1, and is indicated generally at  20 , as used with conventional cheese manufacturing equipment  23  in a batch process of making cheese in a cheese manufacturing plant.  
         [0033]    The cheese manufacturing equipment  23  includes a conventional heated cooking or mixing kettle  26  having a circular base  29  supported by a floor  32  of the cheese manufacturing plant. An upstanding cylindrical wall  35  terminates at a flared, open top  38  and defines an interior chamber  41  for containing raw ingredients  44  for producing a batch of cheese. The base  29  includes electrical heating coils (not shown) to heat the raw ingredients  44  to a desired temperature, and a drive motor with gear box (not shown) to rotatively drive a vertically oriented rotary beater  47  disposed in the interior chamber  41  to agitate the raw ingredients  44 .  
         [0034]    The raw ingredients  44  for producing a batch of cheese, including pasteurized milk and a starter culture of microbes, are added to the mixing kettle  26  and stirred about one-half hour at a temperature of about 90° F. for the resulting mixture to ripen. The pH of the mixture is then dropped and rennet (originally procured from a cow&#39;s stomach) is added to coagulate or curdle the milk into curds  53  of the consistency of gelatin. Liquid whey  56  forms under the curds  53 , which are lighter than the whey  56 . The rotary beater  47  cuts the curds  53  into smaller curds, and the temperature is increased in the mixing kettle  26  to about 103° to 104° F. for about thirty minutes to cook the curds  53 . A valve (not shown) of a flexible outlet pipe  62  is then opened to allow the batch of the curd-whey mixture  59  to gravity feed from the mixing kettle  26  through the flexible outlet pipe  62 .  
         [0035]    A conventional curd separator table  65  includes a generally horizontally disposed, elevated curd support surface  68  bordered by an upstanding rim  69  onto which the curd-whey mixture  59  is deposited from the outlet pipe  62 . The flexibility of outlet pipe  62  allows the curd-whey mixture  59  to be evenly deposited along the length of support surface  68  with the rim  69  preventing the curd-whey mixture  59  from falling off onto the floor  32 . The support surface  68  is slightly laterally inwardly tilted from each side toward a longitudinal drain slot  70  such that the liquid whey  56  flows through the drain slot  70  onto a slightly inclined collection tray  71  which drains the whey  56  for recycling or disposal. The curds  53  remain on the support surface  68  and are stirred using various stirring implements (not shown) to lower the pH of the curds  53  to between about 5.7 to 5.9. Salt is then applied to and mixed with the curds  53 . The curds  53  are pushed by hand from the support surface  68  onto an outlet chute  74  of the curd separator table  65 .  
         [0036]    The curds  53  are pushed off the outlet chute  74  into a housing  77  of a curd pump device  80 . The curd pump device  80  includes a screw shaft  83  mounted transversely of the outlet chute  74  within housing  77 . The screw shaft  83  includes respective external wire-form threads  86  and  89  which are oppositely wound to feed curds  53  inwardly. The screw shaft  83  is rotatively driven by a motor and gear box combination (not shown) of curd pump device  80  such that the curds  53  are moved inwardly of screw shaft  83  and fall into a central outlet opening  92  of housing  77 . The curds  53  are pumped from the central outlet opening  92  through an outlet pipe  95  using a curd pump (not shown) of the curd pump device  80 .  
         [0037]    The curds  53  and any remaining whey  56  are fed from outlet pipe  95  into a conventional upright cheese formation tower  98 . The tower  98  includes an outer casing  101  about thirty-five feet in height having a closed upper end  104  for receiving the curds  53  from outlet pipe  95  and an open lower end  107 . A perforated inner tube  110  is disposed within tower  98 , forming an elongate cheese-receiving chamber  113 , and a coaxially disposed drainage chamber  116  disposed between the outer casing  101  and the inner tube  110 . The interior of the inner tube  110  is coated with a low friction material  119  to facilitate downward sliding movement of cheese contained therein. The lower end  107  of outer casing  101  is mounted to a housing  122  of a cheese cutter  125  supported above the floor  32  on a plurality of vertical legs  128  such that a cheese block receiving space  131  is formed below housing  122 . A movable support plate  134  is horizontally disposed in cheese cutter  125  covering the open lower end  107  of outer casing  101 . A movable guillotine type cutting blade  137  is horizontally disposed above the support plate  134  a predetermined vertical cutting distance.  
         [0038]    The tower  98  is filled with curds  53  and any remaining whey  56  through outlet pipe  95 , forming a vertically disposed cheese column  140  supported by the support plate  134  of cheese cutter  125 . The weight of the curds  53  forces the liquid whey  56  radially outwardly into the drainage chamber  116 , flowing downwardly through a lower outlet (not shown) from drainage chamber  116  at the lower end  107  of outer casing  101  for recycling or disposal. Those curds  53  located closest adjacent support plate  134  are compressed to form solid cheese  143  in the cheese column  140 . A vacuum device (not shown) may be used which lowers the pressure within drainage chamber  116  below atmospheric to expedite the removal of the remaining whey  56  from the curds  53 . The tower  98  may also be divided into respective upper and a lower parts such that different pressures can simultaneously exist in the upper and the lower part during any portion of the cycle. The cutting blade  137  is used to cut the cheese column  140 , producing large cheese blocks  146  of circular cross-section and typically weighing about 40 lbs. each. The large cheese blocks  146  are individually cut and released into the cheese block receiving space  131  when the support plate  134  is moved from supporting engagement therewith. The cutting blade  137  then supports the cheese column  140  until the support plate  134  is moved back into supporting position and the cutting blade  137  is withdrawn therefrom, allowing the cheese column  140  to drop onto the support plate  134  to continue additional compression and cutting cycles.  
         [0039]    In the past, the cheese blocks  146  have been transported to a room for aging period of from several days to many months depending on the type of cheese to be produced, then following the aging period cut up into pieces of cheese of approximately the desired weight using conventional cutting or slicing machines (not shown). The density of the cheese varies considerably due to the aging of such large cheese blocks and exact weight pieces were not possible. The cheese extruding machine  20  permits immediate continued processing of the cheese blocks  146  into finished, exact weight pieces of cheese which are immediately packaged.  
         [0040]    In accordance with the invention, the cheese extruding machine  20  includes a vacuum filler  149 , a cheese forming tube  150  of predetermined, preferably constant, cross-sectional shape, and a cooling device (described subsequently) used with a water cooling system  152 . The components of the cheese extruding machine  20  which contact the cheese curd are preferably made of stainless steel as is customary in the food industry for sanitary reasons. The cheese blocks  146  are manually or automatically loaded into a funnel-shaped input hopper  155  mounted to a housing  158  of the vacuum filler  149 . A vertically-oriented spiral cutter  161  is rotatively driven by a motor and gear box arrangement (not shown) at a lower end  164 , with an upper end  167  being supported by a rub ring  170  of hopper  155 . Cheese blocks  146  made of compressed curds  53  are semi-cured and are rather easily broken into smaller cheese pieces  173  by contact with the spiral cutter  161  and fall through a cheese input passageway  176  onto a feed device comprising a pair of feed screws  179  and  182  having respective parallel, upwardly inclined drive shafts  185  and  188  driven to rotate together with respective spiral threads  191  and  194  intermeshing. The threads  191  and  194  increase in thickness from respective cheese input ends  197  and  200  to output ends  203  and  206  so as to decrease respective inter-thread spaces  209  and  212  to increase the pressure on the cheese pieces  173  to compress them into a uniform, homogenous cheese flow  215  substantially without damaging the curds  53  while removing air therefrom. The cheese flow  215  enters an upwardly angled merge tube  218  leading into a first half tube  221  of the cheese extruding tube  150 , having the predetermined cross-section such to extrude the cheese flow  215 , for example, in a mini-horn shape  227  (FIG. 6) or in a pie shape  230  (FIG. 7).  
         [0041]    Various suitable vacuum fillers are on the market designed for grinding and extruding food products such as link sausage. One example is the ROBOT 500 Vacuum Filler sold by VEMAG Maschinenbau GmbH of Verden, Germany. The vacuum filler includes a feed hopper for loading food product fillings, a double screw feed arrangement transports product filling from the feed hopper to an outlet of the filler machine gently and without crushing. The low friction conveying of the product filling permits weight-accurate portioning. A vacuum system evacuates the product filling and can be adjusted to a residual vacuum of 10 mbar. The vacuum filler generates filling pressures of up to 20 bar. Various filling heads and different cutters allow the production of many different shapes. The vacuum filler as used to produce link sausage with natural or synthetic casings using a linking gear and a casing holding device or length portioning device. However, such a device has not been used to move cheese as defined therein. Additionally, other types of filler devices may be utilized, such as piston-type extruders which are commercially available.  
         [0042]    The cooling device is preferably a reverse flow heat exchanger  233  comprising a water jacket  236  with a plurality of circular baffle plates  239  and  240  disposed about a second half tube  242  of the cheese forming pipe  150 , forming a cooling water chamber  245  therebetween. Cooling water  248  is supplied for the cooling water system  152  from a cooling water source  251 . The cooling water system  152  includes piping  254  leading to and from the cooling water source  251  and a pump  257 . Cooling water  248  flows from the cooling water source  251  through the pump  257  into an inlet  260  of heat exchanger  233 . The cooling water  248  flows through the water chamber  245  in a circuitous path around the baffle plates  239  and  240  in the opposite direction from cheese flow  215  to maximize the heat gradient and rate of heat transfer from the cheese flow  215  to the cooling water  248 . The cooling water  248  is recirculated, passing through an outlet  263  into piping  254  back to the cooling water source  251  for re-cooling. While cheese forming pipe  150  may have a variety of lengths without departing from the spirit of the invention, it has been found that a pipe having a length of 18 feet is sufficient to allow adequate back-pressure so that the cheese completely fills the pipe and is allowed to solidify and harden so that a properly shaped end product results. Additionally, it has been found that cheese forming pipe  150  should be equally split, such that the first half tube is approximately 9 feet and the second half tube  242  is approximately 9 feet Again, other lengths may be used without departing from the spirit of the invention and, given the diameter of this cheese, it may be beneficial to use different lengths of pipe to assure that adequate back-pressure is realized for the entire cheese product. Further, it is important to note that the length of cheese forming pipe  150  is dependent upon the amount of pressure which may be placed on the curds without degradating the quality of the curd, while simultaneously assuring that the entire pipe is filled based on the back-pressure which results from the friction between the pipe in the non-cooled first half and the cooled second half of the cheese forming pipe  150 , but not allowing so much back-pressure that the cheese becomes stopped up and difficult to remove from cheese forming pipe  150 . The cheese flow  215  is extruded from the cheese forming pipe  150  within a cutter/bagger device  265  and sliced to length by a pneumatic blade  264  to form consumer size cheese pieces  266 . The cheese pieces are bagged and carried away on a conveyor  269  for further packaging such as sealing of the plastic bag  272 , shrink wrapping, wax coating, or other operation at a packaging machine (not shown) for immediate packaging.  
         [0043]    Additionally, the cheese flow  215  could travel into multiple cheese forming pipes  150 . If small cross-sectional shapes are desired, such as circles or squares, which would more likely be packaged as snack cheese for use on crackers and meat and cheese trays.  
         [0044]    Many variations of the present invention are possible while staying within the same inventive concept. For example, the vacuum filler may be of an alternate design which still provides the required homogenous cheese flow substantially without damaging the curds. Virtually any shape of cheese may be extruded using a cheese forming tube of suitable cross-sectional shape. The water jacket may be of different designs which achieves the required cooling of the cheese flow. The large cheese blocks may be produced using other types of kettles, curd separators, and cheese block formers.  
         [0045]    Accordingly, the cheese extruding machine, a cheese manufacturing line which utilizes the cheese extruding machine, and a process for producing cheese of the present invention, provide consumer-sized pieces of cheese of an exact net weight directly from unaged or semi-aged cheese curds of semi-hard and hard cheeses, compresses the cheese to a uniform density to facilitate precise net weights upon being extruded, utilizes existing machinery to produce the cheese blocks used by the cheese extruding machine and process, eliminates storage and aging of the large in-process-sized cheese blocks for later cutting into consumer-sized pieces of cheese, and produces the consumer-sized pieces of cheese which final age after packaging substantially without changing net weight, and which solves problems and satisfies needs existing in the art which achieves all the enumerated objectives, provides for eliminating difficulties encountered with prior art devices, and solves problems and obtains new results in the art.  
         [0046]    In the foregoing description, certain terms have been used for brevity, clearness and understanding; but no unnecessary limitations are to be implied therefrom beyond the requirements of the prior art, because such terms are used for descriptive purposes and are intended to be broadly construed.  
         [0047]    Moreover, the description and illustration of the invention is by way of example, and the scope of the invention is not limited to the exact details shown or described.  
         [0048]    Having now described the features, discoveries and principles of the invention, the manner in which the improved cheese extruding machine, cheese manufacturing line which utilizes the cheese extruding machine, and a process for producing cheese are constructed and used, the characteristics of the construction, and the advantageous, new and useful results obtained; the new and useful structures, devices, elements, arrangements, parts and combinations, are set forth in the appended claims.