Page 34 - Ameft Journal 2021-III

Madeta and GEA successfully worked together in a joint project team BAKERY, CONFECTIONERY & SNACKS the double jacket. GEA also supplied a new hygienic starter preparation system and the CIP system for the en- tire cheese area. The whey processing line was supplied exclusively by GEA in the Czech Republic, with technical support from GEA Engineering office in Büchen, Germany. The process in- cludes double pasteurization, involving one new line – including whey clarifi- cation and cream separation – and one existing line, which was upgraded. The existing separators were reused. GEA’s Refrigeration Technologies division supplied a 500kW NH3 heat pump and optimized the existing refrigeration system for the new cheese plant. Automation through GEA Codex software Automation is provided through GEA Codex software, which includes both the GEA master and dynamic recipe systems, providing full control of the cheese making process. The GEA master recipe includes every el- ement of the process line, including specifications regarding the addition of rennet, starter, wash water, color, and calcium chloride. GEA’s dynamic system, which is used at the Planá plant, makes it possible to flex the master recipe to factor in variations in the protein/fat ratio of the raw milk. All data is recorded by the GEA system and can be analyzed using office tools, resulting in a more ac- curate and consistent cheese making process. As part of this project, GEA also implemented its cheese milk calculator. Based on the quantities of cheese sold, this program uses the cheese recipe to back-calculate the amount of cheese milk required and the ideal fat to protein ratio. Depending on the protein content of the raw milk, the calculator determines the mixture needed from the raw milk silos to achieve the ideal cheese milk com- position as closely as possible. It is easy to adjust the fat content of the cheese milk, but the protein content can only be modified at this plant by mixing raw milks with different protein ratios. Cross-divisional cooperation Throughout the project, GEA’s Czech and German operations worked close- ly with each other and the customer to ensure a successful outcome. This was especially important since instal- lation and commissioning took place in 2020 under the constraints of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Numerous in- depth discussions, a detailed planning phase, and our expertise from the many cheese production projects we have participated in convinced Madeta that they had chosen the right part- ner,” says Vaclav Ruzek, Vice President Czech Republic Cluster at GEA. Despite the restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic, the plant was handed over to the customer at the end of Novem- ber 2020 as scheduled. “Together with GEA, we successfully and constructively resolved all of the challenges arising in the course of this large project. Thanks to our good co- operation, all major milestones were met despite the difficulties brought by the pandemic,” concludes Ing. Petr Payer, Technical Director at Madeta. (Source: Madeta/GEA) 34 AMEFT 3 2021 www.ameft.com