Effect of sequential ventilation on cheese ripening and energy consumption in pilot ripening rooms

Time-course estimation of evaporated water fluxes together with mean surface water activity in uncooked pressed cheeses during ripening using a purpose-built micro-bioreactor

“…Maximum CO 2 production measured in this study is consistent with the value measured by Picque et al (2009) (peak of 8.3 AE 1.1 g d À1 m À2 at day 11) on an infrared analyzer in a 4.2 m 3 laboratory ripening room filled with 45 large-sized Saint-Nectaire cheeses 20 cm in diameter, 4.9 cm in height, and each weighing 1.6 AE 0.1 kg. Note that the Saint-Nectaire cheeses release about ten-fold less CO 2 than Camembert cheeses due to differences in surface microbial strains and cheese technology (uncooked pressed cheese versus soft cheese).…”

Ripening conditions: A tool for the control of Listeria monocytogenes in uncooked pressed type cheese

“…An extensive literature is available on the antiListeria activities of individual strains (Garcia, Depaz, Gaya, Edna, & Nunez, 1997;O'Sullivan, Connor, Ross, & Hill, 2006;Motta & Brandelli, 2008) and complex microbial consortia in cheese core (Millet, Saubusse, Didienne, Tessier, & Montel, 2006;Saubusse, Millet, Delbes, Callon, & Montel, 2007) or rind (Gay & Amgar, 2005;Maoz, Mayr, & Sherer, 2003;Retureau, Callon, Didienne, Buchin, & Montel, 2010;Roth, Miesher Schwenninger, Hasler, Eugster-Meier, & Lacroix, 2010). Cheese ripening conditions -temperature, relative humidity and air velocity in the ripening chamber -greatly influence microbial growth and consequently the biochemical and sensorial characteristics of the cheese (Leclerq Perlat, Oumer, Bergere, Spinnler, & Corrieu, 1999;Picque et al 2009;Sihufe et al 2010). Temperature can have an effect on cheese safety during cheese making, ripening and storage but this effect depends on the cheese type.…”

Local air velocity, a key factor governing the Raclette cheese mass loss in an industrial ripening room

“…The second trial (designated SV50) was performed in “time‐based” sequential ventilation: air circulation was stopped for 50% of the ripening time on an hourly basis, that is, air ventilation was carried out for 30 min and was cut off for 30 min every hour. This ratio (50:50), offering a good compromise between the reduction of energy consumption and the maintenance of cheese quality, was chosen on the basis of the earlier results shown by Picque et al (), Corrieu et al () and Mirade et al ().…”

“…The anemometer performed one measurement per second and supplied a mean value every 60 seconds. In each location in the ripening room, the measurements of air velocity were carried out twice during a 5 to 10 min interval (Picque et al, ), and an average value of the mean local air velocity was then determined with a standard deviation close to 0.01 m.s −1 . The measurements of the mean local air velocity were carried out at the bottom (≈ 0.5 m from the floor) and at the top (≈3.5 m from the floor, close to the textile duct that provided air circulation) of the corridor (C), close to the three stacks weighed (arrows in Figure ).…”

“…Throughout the ripening room, these heterogeneities that modify mass loss could be linked to differences in: (1) local air velocity (whose online measurement is difficult) and (2) the position of the cheeses (individually or on racks). Moreover, sequential ventilation (SV) allows a reduction of energy consumption during ripening and significantly modifies the air circulation around the cheeses (Corrieu et al, ; Corrieu & Picque, ; Mirade et al, ; Picque et al, ).…”