RESEARCH PROJECTS
1 Cutting Time Prediction in Enzymatic Coagulation
of Milk
2 Endpoint Prediction in Acid Coagulation of Milk
3 Curd Syneresis Optical Sensor Technology
4 Biphasic Model for Milk Gels Syneresis
"Wheying-off" or the undesired appearance of whey on the surface of a gel during storage is a common defect in several brands of yogurt currently on the market. Manufacturers try to avoid this defect by increasing the solids content of the cultured milk and by adding stabilizers. Adding solids unnecessarily increases production cost. Adding stabilizers changes the genuine organoleptic attributes of yogurt, and has a negative impact on the image of yogurt as natural and "additive free" dairy product. Despite the importance of wheying-off as a product defect, whey separation is one of the least understood phases in milk products processing.
The goal of this research is the development of a dynamic model describing the Darcy's flow of whey through a viscoelastic deforming porous medium (curd). The lack of suitable models for describing the flow out of whey during either the syneresis step of cheese making or the storage of dairy products is hindering the implementation of modern process control technologies in the dairy industry.
