Stainless steel scale copes well with hot cheese

The production of mozzarella, ricotta, and other pizza cheese requires weighing equipment that can handle hot products which create a steamy atmosphere.

At Valerio's Olympia Group, scales were regularly breaking down so technical manager Matthew Misir investigated the possibility of obtaining equipment that was suited to the demanding food environment. As a result, he specified the SEB food scale from Sartorius.

Supplying to major customers such as Pizza Express, one of the major problems facing Valerio's was the fact that ricotta cheese has to be dispensed into plastic tubs for customers which make filled pasta dishes. "The cheese is hot-filled so we needed equipment that could cope with the humid environment created at this point of the process," says Misir.

Manufactured from stainless steel, the SEB has met this requirement; in addition, its design ensures that cleaning operations can be carried out more thoroughly and more quickly. The scale also has helped to increase production rates and product give-away has been reduced.

Other scales that Valerio's tried tended to fail. But, in contrast, the SEB has been in place for nearly two years without fault.

A second scale has now been installed to checkweigh 4kg blocks of pizza cheese and 1kg balls of mozzarella. "The scales have paid for themselves in saved repair costs alone," says Misir.

Contact: Sartorius,

Tel: 01372 737102