Method and apparatus for collating and consolidating natural cheese blocks

A method of forming a homogeneous mass of natural cheese from cheese curd which has been salted and mellowed, comprising consolidating the curd particles under vacuum at a temperature within the range 24.degree.-32.degree. C. and compressing the consolidated curd to form blocks of cheese, and filling a container with the blocks of cheese without wrapping said blocks and while the cheese blocks are at a temperature within said range, each cheese block being fed into the container within 60 minutes of subjecting the curd particles forming the cheese block to said vacuum.

Apparatus for collating a plurality of blocks of cheese of substantially the same size in layers in a container, the apparatus comprising a frame straddling a container filling station, means for positioning an open-ended container in an upright position at the filling station with the walls of the container substantially vertical, an elevator for supporting an end panel within said container at said filling station, the elevator being operable to lower the end panel within the container in steps, each step corresponding approximately to the depth of a layer of cheese blocks, a floor plate movable on said frame between a loading station and said filling station, the floor plate at said filling station being directly above a container therein, means for loading cheese blocks onto the floor plate at the loading station, and means for withdrawing the floor plate at the filling station, whereby cheese blocks on the floor plate are deposited on the end panel or on a layer of cheese blocks on the end panel.