| 摘要 |
Method and apparatus for separating liquids from soft particulate food solids, especially for cottage cheese. A tensioned belt is partially wrapped around a foraminous drum to compress a layer or bed of food particles advancing on the exterior of the drum wall through a separation zone beneath the belt. The belt run opposite the drum wall is free to flex and yield and to expand and contract the cross-sectional area of the separating zone, depending upon the thickness of the bed of food particles in said zone. Accordingly, delicate such particles will not be damaged or broken up into small particles, as would happen if a thick bed is forced through a zone of fixed cross-sectional area. Moreover, pressure is maintained on the bed when it is thin. A belt tightener is provided which will maintain a desired tension on the belt so that the belt will always exert a predetermined desired pressure on the bed. The input of the soft particulate food solids to the separating zone is optionally provided with a settling chamber so that large particles will settle to the bottom and function as a filter to intercept and inhibit loss of small particles through the drum perforations. Where used to dewater cottage cheese, the cheese curd is desirably creamed immediately after the dewatered curd leaves the separating zone and immediately after pressure has been removed from the curd. Accordingly, the curd is expanding while exposed to the cream, thus to facilitate and speed absorption of the cream by the expanding curd.
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