Flowmeters ensure Camembert is full of flavour

Edited by the Processingtalk editorial team Sep 14, 2004

A cheese producer is using the Krohne Optimass Coriolis flowmeter to ensure the Camembert is matured evenly and consistently to maintain its high quality and full flavour, and to reduce waste

A German cheese producer is using the Krohne Optimass Coriolis flowmeter to ensure the Camembert it produces is matured evenly and consistently to maintain its high quality and full flavour and to reduce waste.

The Optimass flowmeter provides very precise measurement and is being used to monitor the brine used for maturing the Camembert.

The cheeses are submerged in pools of the solution for a specific period of time where they absorb the salt.

If there is too much or too little salt in the brine the quality of the cheese will be impaired.

The cheese manufacturer previously used a magnetic inductive flowmeter to measure the salt concentration in the brine but found that it did not provide high enough accuracy.

This affected the flavour of the cheese and resulted in rejects and waste.

The Optimass accurately monitors the density of the brine being pumped into the pools.

The precise concentration of salt in the solution is calculated and this information is then used to control the addition of salt.

A constant ratio of 30 per cent salt, 70 per cent water - a density of 1180 kg/m3 - is maintained.

"The Krohne flowmeter enables the company to produce consistent, high quality cheeses", said Bernd Schumacher from Krohne.

"Quality product is of the utmost priority to the company and it was important that we found a way to help them maintain this and reduce the amount of cheese that is wasted".

The Optimass Coriolis flowmeter from Wellingborough-based Krohne was the first of its kind to incorporate a single straight tube design.

It is manufactured from materials that conform to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines and complies with EHEDG (European Hygienic Equipment Supply Group) and 3A standards.

The meter is available with a wide range of industry standard hygienic process connectors, which makes it ideally suited for use in food applications.