Production line for urda (ricotta)

Highly praised by its consumers, urda (ricotta) is a dairy product obtained by boiling the whey left after making the curd. Its texture is soft and crumbly. It is similar to Italian cheese "ricotta", containing high protein and low in fat.

Made entirely of AISI 304 steel, the ricotta production plants follow the entire production process of the ricotta from the phases of homogenization, standardization, and handling of the raw materials up to washing.

For delicate products such as ricotta, an innovative and refined technology is essential. In more than twenty years of activity, our supplier has made small, medium, and large equipment for the production of ricotta: complete lines in terms of quality, hygiene and safety.

The plants proposed by our supplier comprise one or more flocculators of different size, entirely made in stainless steel Aisi 304, with a cone-shaped bottom for a perfect discharge of ricotta. The special steam injection system and the bottom with central discharge enable a correct stirring of the whey. These two elements provide the highest yield. The cone-shaped bottom and the sides of the flocculator are thermally insulated. It features an inspection hatch on the ceiling and an effective washing system. Our supplier designs all its flocculators to be fully automated, and equips them with all connections required for adding technological additives, for instance, or for temperature and level control. The flocculator is also equipped with control board according to customer’s specific requirements. For an easy access, the units are provided with a gangway and relevant ladder.

For the drainage and drying of ricotta, our supplier proposes two solutions with different automation level. The first solution sees a – single or double – drainage tank, mounted below the flocculator; the tank can be provided with a lid for CIP washing. Inside the tank there is a hopper with a pump used for the transfer of the product. The second solution comprises a stainless steel Aisi 304 tunnel with inside belt for product drainage and drying. Equipped with inspection hatches, the tunnel structure enables CIP washing of the conveyor belt (made in non-toxic, micropore plastic material) and easy daily hygienic cleaning. The product feeding speed on the drainage belt is controlled via a static frequency converter. A “mono” pump and a centrifugal pump installed in the tunnel, provide for the regular transfer of the product and of the curd whey. At the end of the drainage and drying cycles, ricotta is transferred to one or more mixers, where it can be enriched with other components before the homogenization and packaging phases.