The present invention relates to a milk curd stretching machine for the production of pulled-curd cheeses, provided with cutting means for cutting the curd.

As is known, in the production of pulled-curd cheeses the curd is rendered plastic or "stringy" by typically soaking it with hot water until it reaches a temperature of at least 60°C.

The stringy curd is then mixed to obtain a fibrous mix; this mix is then reduced into globoid or cylindrical shapes, which are then firmed up by cooling.

Stretching is usually performed by introducing the previously shredded curd into a mixing chamber, into which hot water is also fed.

In greater detail, stretching machines of the known type are constituted by:

- a hopper, through which the curd is fed;

- a loading auger, arranged below the hopper and adapted to guide the curd toward a stretching channel;

- a motorized cutter adapted to shred the curd before entering the stretching channel;

- the stretching channel, through which the curd is stretched and made to advance by means of a transport auger;

- a mixing chamber, in which the curd is mixed by means of mixing means.

Therefore, ultimately the curd is processed by three augers and a motorized cutter before reaching the mixing chamber.

The aim of the present invention is to provide a milk curd stretching machine for the production of pulled-curd cheeses that is structurally simpler than stretching machines of the known type.

Within this aim, an object of the invention is to provide a stretching machine that is compact, with low production costs and limited energy consumption.

This aim and these and other objects that will become better apparent hereinafter are achieved by a milk curd stretching machine provided with curd cutting means having the characteristics illustrated in claim 1, while the dependent claims define other advantageous, albeit secondary, characteristics of the invention.

Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become better apparent from the description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment of a milk curd stretching machine, illustrated by way of nonlimiting example with the aid of the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a schematic lateral elevation view of the stretching machine according to the invention;

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view of the stretching machine shown in Figure 1, taken along the sectional plane II-II;

Figure 3 is an enlarged-scale view of a detail of the stretching machine shown in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a schematic top plan view of a portion of the hopper and of the stretching channel of the stretching machine shown in the previous figures;

Figure 5 is a transverse sectional view of the stretching machine shown in Figure 4, taken along the sectional plane V-V.

With particular reference to the figures, the milk curd stretching machine for the production of pulled-curd cheeses, generally designed by the reference numeral 1, comprises:

- a hopper 2 for loading curd to be stretched;

- a stretching channel 3 which has an inlet end 4 that is open to receive the curd from the hopper 2 and an outlet end 5 which is open to discharge the curd;

- loading means 6 which are accommodated in the hopper 2 for guiding the curd in the stretching channel 3;

- transport means 7 for the curd, which are accommodated in the stretching channel 2 for advancing the curd from the inlet end 4 to the outlet end 5; and

- cutting means 8 which are interposed between the hopper 2 and the stretching channel 3 for shredding the curd.

According to the invention, the loading means 6 and the transport means 7 coincide and comprise at least one single shaft auger 9 which crosses the hopper 2 and the stretching channel 3.

In greater detail, the single shaft auger 9 is interrupted at the inlet end 4 so as to form two separate helixes 10 and 11 and the cutting means 8 are arranged at the inlet end 4 between the interrupted and mutually facing portions of the two helixes 10 and 11.

Advantageously, the cutting means 8 comprise a plurality of blades 12 with parallel cutting edges which are arranged at the inlet end 4 and are oriented parallel to the advancement direction of the curd.

Equally advantageously, the interrupted and mutually facing portions of the two helixes 10 and 11 have sharp profiles.

The operation of the stretching machine 1 according to the invention follows directly from what described above.

In particular, simultaneously with the advancement of the curd induced by the rotation of the auger, the blades 12, together with the cutting edges provided on the helixes of the auger, cut the curd both in a longitudinal direction, with an action similar to an extruder, and in a transverse direction, all without the use of further motor drives and components.

In practice it has been found that the stretching machine according to the present invention fully achieves the intended aim and objects. In fact, the solution described allows a reduction in the number of components which leads to a reduction in costs, energy consumption and necessary maintenance.

Furthermore, with respect to stretching machines of the known type, the present embodiment allows to reduce the space occupation of the stretching machine, making it compact.

The stretching machine thus conceived is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the accompanying claims.

All the details may furthermore be replaced with other technically equivalent elements.

In practice, the materials used, so long as they are compatible with the specific use, as well as the contingent shapes and dimensions, may be any according to the requirements and the state of the art.

The disclosures in Italian Patent Application No. 102022000005105, from which this application claims priority, are incorporated by reference.

Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.