Process for the continuous preparation of cheese or a cheese product installations for practicing the process and product obtained by the process

A method of continuously manufacturing a cheese or a cheese specialty from curds and/or the residue of milk ultrafiltration, wherein the method comprises the following steps:

• a) feeding non-processed raw materials necessary to manufacture a cheese, comprising at least broken curds and/or residue to a screw extruder having two screws that are substantially identical, meshing one within the other, and rotated in the same direction of rotation inside an elongate sheath;
• b) transferring the raw materials from an upstream end toward a downstream end of the sheath so as to be processed, the configuration of the screws and the temperature inside the sheath going from the upstream end towards the downstream end being adapted to subject the raw materials successively to a step in which they are compressed, mixed, and heated to a temperature of about 120.degree. C.;
• a step in which they are sheared and mixed, followed by a decompression step at a temperature in the range 55.degree. C. to 120.degree. C.;
• a step of compression, mixing, and heating to a temperature in the range 55.degree. C. to 120.degree. C., and a step in which the product is sheared, mixed, and transferred into a die at a temperature in the range 50.degree. C. to 120.degree. C.;
• c) extruding the resulting product from the downstream end of the sheath through a die adapted to texture, shape, and cool the product;
• and
• d) cutting up the extruded cheese or cheese specialty to a desired length.