Apparatus and method for producing a cheese product

An apparatus for producing a cheese product, comprising:

• an extrusion head for extruding cheese, said extrusion head having an input end and an opposite output end, said output end having a plurality of extrusion apertures which form said cheese into a plurality of ropes when said cheese is expelled through said extrusion apertures;
• a canal table having a feed end and an opposite discharge end with a plurality of flumes extending between said feed and discharge ends, said canal table being positioned adjacent said extrusion head such that said cheese ropes exiting said extrusion apertures are individually received into said flumes;
• means for adding a brine solution into said flumes adjacent said feed end for flowing the cheese ropes down their associated flumes in the direction from the feed end to the discharge end of the canal table;
• means associated with each flume and attached to said canal table between said feed and discharge ends for sensing the presence of the leading end of the cheese rope in the flume;
• and
• means associated with each flume and attached to said canal table upstream of the sensing means for cutting a cheese rope in the associated flume in response to the sensing by the corresponding sensing means of the leading end of the cheese rope in the associated flume.