US 12,225,875 B2
Butter-making method
Siegfried Klapper, Herzebrock-Clarholz (DE); and Carsten Bräutigam, Niederstotzingen (DE)
Assigned to GEA Mechanical Equipment GmbH, Oelde (DE)
Appl. No. 16/487,472
Filed by GEA MECHANICAL EQUIPMENT GMBH, Delde (DE)
PCT Filed Feb. 7, 2018, PCT No. PCT/EP2018/052994
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Aug. 21, 2019,
PCT Pub. No. WO2018/153660, PCT Pub. Date Aug. 30, 2018.
Claims priority of application No. 10 2017 103 562.1 (DE), filed on Feb. 21, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2020/0000056 A1, Jan. 2, 2020
Int. Cl. A01J 15/26 (2006.01); A01J 15/02 (2006.01); A01J 17/00 (2006.01); A23C 15/02 (2006.01)
CPC A01J 15/26 (2013.01) [A01J 15/02 (2013.01); A01J 17/00 (2013.01); A23C 15/02 (2013.01)] 17 Claims
 
1. A method for producing butter in a butter-making machine, the butter-making machine comprising an inlet, a butter-making cylinder with a rotatable beater, a butter-refining drum and a first extraction press, and a first mixing section arranged downstream thereof, the method comprising:
a) forming, by the rotatable beater in the butter-making cylinder, butter grains and butter milk from cream supplied to the butter-making cylinder;
b) performing, in the butter-refining drum, a butter-refining process in which a butter grain size is adjusted;
c) kneading the butter grains in the first extraction press, which comprises a hollow body containing one or two screw conveyors having a speed that is regulated by an adjustable-speed drive, wherein a basic water content of the butter is also reduced;
d) varying, in the first mixing section, a cross-section of an outlet opening of a restrictor,
wherein the speed of the adjustable-speed drive and a size of the cross-section of the outlet opening of the restrictor are controlled in an electronically self-regulating manner,
wherein step c) further comprises
determining a pressure in the first extraction press exerted by the butter grains or the butter;
determining a filling level in the first extraction press; and
using the determined pressure and determined filling level as reference variables of the electronic self-regulation,
wherein the first extraction press comprises a filling level sensor positioned on the first extraction press so that the filling level sensor can sense a filling level in the first extraction press, the filling level is equivalent to a complete filling of the first extraction press with the butter grains or butter.