Context

The increase in the demand for locally produced, high-quality innovative products means that dairy companies are considering developing new products to add value to milk and open up new markets for sales, both in Spain and abroad.

MONTBRÚ, a livestock farming company and producer of goat's milk and dairy products in El Moianès region, has gone a step further in the development of innovative products. Taking the idea for processing a cured meat sausage, MONTBRÚ aims to innovate in its system for ripening cheese, which uses the packing technique (the shape and drying system for cured sausages) to make the cheese it produces maintain or improve its sensory and nutritional characteristics when compared to a cheese ripened according to the current production system.

In order to bring this product to market, a number of activities are planned to develop/improve the manufacturing technology and the ripening system of a product that is obtained using forming technology. Casings and alginates adapted to these types of products will also be used in order to pack the curd.

Non-invasive techniques to classify the product are widely used by agrifood companies. The best known technique is NIR, which requires analysis of a specific pattern curve for the product. This technique enables the curd's moisture levels during the forming process to be determined, thereby ensuring that a product which starts the ripening process always has the same moisture levels, and preventing subsequent problems in the ripening process

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The standard curve for the end product will also be produced, as it can be monitored during the ripening process and the technological conditions can be adjusted depending on the product's development, thereby improving the production process.