Cream cheese plant benefits from new Certa pump’s gentle handling and CIP capability

Leading German dairy product manufacturer Goldsteig has put its trust in the recently-launched MasoSine Certa Sine pump

Leading German dairy product manufacturer Goldsteig has put its trust in the recently-launched MasoSine Certa SineTM pump from Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Group (WMFTG) for the production of cream cheese. Here, the gentle handling of the Certa pump is ideal for transferring the sensitive cream used to manufacture mascarpone and delicate whey for ricotta, while its ease of cleaning makes for lower maintenance requirements.

Goldsteig Käsereien Bayerwald GmbH is one of Germany’s leading cheese producers. Operating across three plants, the Bavaria-based company employs 620 staff and produces almost 100,000 tonnes of cheese per year from 860 million kilograms of milk. In the town of Tittling near Passau, the Goldsteig plant focusses on the production of Italian specialty cream cheese, such as ricotta and mascarpone.

Pumping operations affect final product quality

"The pumping is an important stage of production, where due care and gentle handling matter most,” explains Operations Manager Günter Schlattl. "If the shearing forces are too high, then the binding – and thus the structure of the mixture – can be damaged. Ultimately, the final quality of the cream cheese will suffer, and for ricotta and mascarpone, the texture of the end product is essential.”

Since November 2015, Goldsteig has been using a new Certa sine pump for these delicate tasks.

"We have used MasoSine pumps for several years as part of our butter production, so we were already convinced about their low pulse, gentle handling capabilities,” says Mr Schlattl. "

Certa is a completely new design of pump based on the proven sinusoidal positive displacement principle. It has been designed specifically for use in the food and beverage industry, conveying the product more gently than other pump types. Indeed, compared with rotary lobe pumps, for example, Certa delivers up to 50% more gentle handling. As a result, the pump is especially well suited to shear-sensitive fluids such as cream at Goldsteig, or media containing large or delicate particles, with no loss to product integrity. Changing to a higher viscosity product has negligible impact on power required. For example, increasing viscosity from 20,000 cP to 200,000 cP nominally increases the required power by around 0.1 to 0.3hp (0.22 kW).

Comprehensive certification

Among the major considerations of pumps destined for use in the food industry is hygiene and, in particular, CIP (clean-in-place) capability.

“The appropriate certification was crucial for the application in Tittling since we perform a daily CIP clean with caustic,” says Mr Schlattl. “After one of our first CIP operations following installation, we opened the pump to check the results and found that it was totally clean – simply outstanding.”

In Certa pumps, the number of components in contact with the product has been minimised in order ensure ease of cleaning. As a result, the pump is also SIP (steam-in-place) capable. Furthermore the pump is also SIP capable with its standard configuration.

Due to its CIP and SIP capability, Certa is certified to 3A and EHEDG EL Class I. Furthermore, all components in contact with the product meet the requirements for food contact as per EC 1935/2004 and the FDA. Certa is available with flows of up to almost 42,000 litres per hour.

Low maintenance and energy-efficient

The team at Goldsteig is particularly satisfied with the reliability of the new Certa pump.

“Since installation, our Certa pump has been running without a single hitch,” says Mr Schlattl. “To date, we have not had to replace any parts, even though it is running a double shift daily for up to 12 hours."

In Certa pumps, there is less need for maintenance as the number of consumables has been reduced in comparison with previous generation models. Furthermore, total cost of ownership is also low as sine pumps consume up to 50% less energy than that of lobe or circumferential pumps, particularly at higher viscosities.

Given the exceptionally positive experience that Goldsteig has enjoyed to date with its Certa pump, more are likely to arrive in the future. "Should we expand or introduce a new product range, we will definitely rely on another Certa,” concludes Mr Schlattl.