Cheese starter culture infrared drying technology

Abstract

The issues of drying cheese starter cultures are discussed. The current state of the issue is briefly described. The problems have been identified and a technology for drying dairy starter cultures has been proposed. The research goal and objectives are formulated. The research target and methods are determined. An experimental layout of the drying plant has been developed which consists of 6 tiers, each of has a tray for the product. The maximum load is 20 L of liquid product. In the food industry, the problem of adhesion and burning during drying of liquid raw materials is known. In the developed installation, this problem is solved by using a Teflon mat at the bottom of the tray. This solution allows significantly reducing product losses. The dimensions of the dryer are equal to 750 × 560 × 470 mm. Experiments have been carried out to determine the moisture characteristics of the product. The moisture curve of the product during the drying process is obtained. Critical points have been identified. Studies have been conducted to find the initial and final moisture content of cheese starter cultures. The initial moisture content is 91.34%, and the final moisture content is 5.3%. The drying time of cheese starter cultures was determined which was 1080 minutes. Studies have been conducted to find the spectral characteristics of the product under study. The dependences of the wavelength on the transmission are obtained. The optical properties of the product and the operating wavelength range of the radiation source were coordinated. The optimal temperature of the drying process was determined which was 39.66°C. This temperature will allow saving the largest amount of useful substances in the final product. The conclusions are made about the effectiveness of the proposed technology. The technology allows performing drying process at a low temperature while preserving the useful substances in the final product.