NZ755838B2

NZ755838B2 - Butter-making method

Info

Publication number: NZ755838B2
Application number: NZ755838A
Authority: NZ
Inventors: Carsten Brautigam; Siegfried Klapper
Original assignee: Gea Mechanical Equipment Gmbh
Filing date: 2018-02-07
Publication date: 2025-09-30

Abstract

method by which butter is produced in a butter-making machine, where the butter-making machine comprises: an inlet (1); a butter-making cylinder (2) with a rotatable beater (3); a butter-refining drum (5); an extraction press (6) comprising a hollow body (20) containing screw conveyors (21), the speed of which can be regulated by an adjustable-speed drive (16), and a filling level sensor (24); and a mixing section (7) comprising a restrictor (31) with outlet openings (27). The method comprises the following steps: in step (100), the rotatable beater (3) is used to form butter grains and butter milk from cream supplied to the butter-making cylinder (1); in step (300), a butter-refining process is performed in the butter-refining drum (5) to adjust a butter grain size; in step (400), the butter grains are kneaded in the extraction press (6) to reduce the basic water content of the butter; and in step (500), cross sections of the outlet openings (27) of the restrictor (31) are varied. The method is characterized in that: one or both of steps (400) and (500) are performed in an electronically self-regulating manner by an electronic control; in step (400), a pressure in the extraction press (6) exerted by the butter grains or the butter is determined and used as a first reference variable of the electronic control, and a filling level in the extraction press (6) is determined and used as a second reference variable of the electronic control; and a position of the filling level sensor (24) is selected to able to sense a filling level in the extraction press (6) which is equivalent to a complete filling with butter grains or butter. This method automates the butter-making process with minimal response time for adjustment of control parameters.

Claims

1. A method by which butter is produced in a butter-making machine, which 5 comprises at least one inlet, at least one butter-making cylinder with a rotatable beater, at least one butter-refining drum and at least one first extraction press, and at least one mixing section arranged downstream thereof, wherein at least the following steps are provided: - in one step (100), in the butter-making cylinder said rotatable beater is 10 used to form butter grains and butter milk from cream supplied to the cylinder; - in one step (300), in the butter-refining drum, a butter-refining process is performed, in which a butter grain size is adjusted; - in one step (400), in the first extraction press, which comprises a hollow 15 body containing one or two screw conveyors, the speed of which can be regulated by an adjustable-speed drive, the butter grains are kneaded, wherein the basic water content of the butter is also reduced; - in a step (500), in the first mixing n, the cross section of one or more outlet openings of a ctor is varied; 20 characterized in that: - one or both of the steps (400) and (500) are performed in an onically self-regulating manner by an electronic control; - in the step (400), the pressure in the first extraction press exerted by the butter grains or the butter is determined and used as a first 25 reference variable of the onic control; - also in the step (400) a filling level in the extraction press is determined and is used as a second reference le of the onic control; - the first extraction press includes a filling level sensor; - and the position of the filling level sensor on the extraction press is 30 selected so that the filling level sensor is able to sense a filling level in the extraction press which is equivalent to a complete filling of the first extraction press with butter grains or butter.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that in the step (400) the speed of the screw conveyor of the first extraction press is used as a first control variable of the electronic control. 5

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, terized in that in the step (500) the butter is discharged from the mixing section through a restrictor provided with one or more variable-sized openings, and that in the step (400) the opening cross section or aperture of the openings in the restrictor is used as a second control variable of the electronic control.

4. The method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the first extraction press includes a pressure sensor, which is preferably positioned in the hollow-cylindrical body of the first extraction press just in front of its outlet.

5. The method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the set value of the pressure at the outlet-side end of the first extraction press represents a m of 10 bar, and a minimum of 8 bar. 20

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the set value of the pressure at the outlet-side end of the first extraction press is 9 bar.

7. The method as claimed in any one of the preceding , characterized in that the nce variables or set values of the reference variables are 25 determined by self-learning during the method and/or during a start-up phase of the method.

8. The method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that in a step (600) following the step (500) the butter has air extracted from it in 30 a vacuum chamber, in order to improve keeping ies of the .

9. The method as claimed in claim 8, terized in that in a step (700) following the step (600) the butter is fed into an inlet of a further, second extraction press, in order to extract more water and to optimize the water 35 content.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9, characterized in that in a step (800) ing the step (700), through mixing in a second mixing section a uniform distribution of the water content in the butter and an optimizing of the water content of the butter are achieved.

11. The method as claimed in claim 9 or claim 10, characterized in that one or both of the steps (600) and (700) is/are electronically regulated.

12. The method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in 10 that in the step (100) at least one characteristic value of the cream is measured or predetermined and that an actual value for the taneous drive output of the beater is registered, and a set value for the drive output of the beater is determined as a function of the characteristic value and that the beater speed is adjusted until this set value for the drive output is ed.

13. The method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that in the step (100) the cream temperature and/or the cream fat content is used as the teristic value. 20

14. The method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that an additional visual check on the butter-making process in the butterrefining drum is performed via a viewing window.