Tetra Pak’s first complete cheese processing line boosts food safety and speed to market

14 May 2020 --- Tetra Pak has launched its first complete processing line for white cheese products with a fully automated and integrated solution to ensure a high standard of food safety and speed to market. The new processing line enables white milk producers and traditional cheese makers to explore opportunities within white cheese. In addition, the technology offers improved environmental sustainability benefits compared to traditional cheesemaking, such as less product waste, fewer required ingredients and lower energy consumption. The key market for this service is the Greater Middle East – Turkey, Iran and Egypt, with Europe as a secondary key market.

“This is the first time any supplier has created a white cheese processing line with their own equipment. No other companies can offer a full processing line using only their own equipment – instead they combine their own equipment with machines from other suppliers. The end product is ready for consumption straight after packaging,” Joanna Majewska, Business Development Liquid Filled Cheese Line, Tetra Pak, tells PackagingInsights.

The processing line launch comes at a time when the dairy market has suffered strains under the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the consumer shift toward plant-based dairy alternatives. Innova Market Insights also pegs dairy as “one of the most interesting and innovative food categories today,” according to Lu Ann Williams, Director of Innovation. 

Indeed, Tetra Pak has observed “very fast growth” in the cheese market, with a production increase in North America, Middle East, Western Europe. The packaging heavyweight expects this trend to grow further by 2030.

This is the first time a supplier has created a white cheese processing line with its own equipment, says Majewska.“Key benefits [of the processing line] include increased profitability for customers as they are now able to explore a segment with greater profit potential than milk production. We can help cheese producers to minimize costs, take full advantage of the growing trend and explore new and differentiated product lines,” notes Majewska.

Combining processing technologies
The complete processing line has been designed to produce a diverse range of white cheese products, including feta and queso fresco. Its ultrafiltration unit is a closed system that provides for good bacteriological control and does not require manual contact with the products. It also safeguards a higher yield, as the whey proteins in cheese are retained. 

The heat treatment in Tetra Pak Pasteurizer D Base and Tetra Pak Homogenizer offer easy maintenance via its intuitive operator interface. Moreover, it does not compromise on food safety and prevents contamination in every step.

The processing line works for both Bacteriological Acidified Feta (BAF) and Glucone Delta Lactone (GDL) using a hygienic and safe process to ensure long product shelf life. BAF is a slower method that gives a full cheese taste, whereas the quicker GDL method results in a slightly more neutral flavor. Moreover, GDL acidifies mass rapidly and is used together with dry salt and in-line dosed rennet to produce cheese in a short time and at a low cost.

“Our complete processing solution is hygienic, safe, guaranteed by the closed system. It doesn’t require fermentation or lengthy storage periods, which equals faster time-to-market – and longer shelf life for the product,” concludes Majewska.

Tetra Pak also provides automation, installation, maintenance, quality management and training services to maximize operational excellence, minimize costs and ensure the right product quality every time.

By Anni Schleicher