ABSTRACT
Real-time estimation of curd firming and prediction of cut-
ting time are essential for milk coaugulation control during
cheese making. A plethora of devices have been developed
for that purpose over the past seven decades. Most of the
proposed instruments have been developed for fundamental
research of coagulation and gel properties, evaluation and
development of rennets and starter cultures, or development
of inline cutting time sensors. Several authors have reviewed
the apparatus that have been proposed for gel formation
monitoring and cut-time setting.[1-4] A comprehensive clas-
sification of those techniques was published recently by
Castillo.[5] Among the various techniques proposed, the
group that stands out is based on optical parameters from
light backscatter (LB) measurement. Optical backscatter
measurement techniques using optical fibers have several
inherent advantages, including the measurement of light
through the equivalent of small path lengths and the minia-
ture size of optoelectronic components. Optical techniques
are also very suitable for inline measurement using optical
fibers and can be continuous and non-destructive.
