Use of electromagnetic energy for making pasta filata cheese

A method for continuously making pasta filata cheese comprising:

• continuously manipulating a dairy product comprising cheese curds using one or more augers comprising a combination of flights and paddles to distribute the dairy product across a width of a conveyer belt and to create a uniform dairy product with a uniform heating profile as determined by one or more sensors;
• continuously flowing the uniform dairy product on the conveyor belt through a heating chamber;
• continuously placing the uniform dairy product sufficiently close to particles made from radiofrequency absorbing materials that absorb one or more frequencies of a radiofrequency electromagnetic signal substantially more than other materials such that the uniform dairy product receives more heat generated by the electromagnetic signal as compared to the dairy product in the absence of the particles made from radiofrequency absorbing materials, the uniform dairy product and the particles enclosed within the heating chamber;
• continuously heating the uniform dairy product within the heating chamber by applying electromagnetic energy at the one or more frequencies to said particles and said uniform dairy product from an electrical conductor that is wound around and surrounding the heating chamber, wherein a first radiofrequency energy is applied to the electrical conductor from a radiofrequency energy source through a conductive ring surrounding and spaced apart from the electrical conductor to produce said electromagnetic energy;
• continuously collecting a heated dairy product from the heating chamber;
• and
• continuously stretching the collected heated dairy product through the use of augurs in a stretcher separate from the heating chamber to produce a pasta filata cheese.