Design, development, and evaluation of paneer‐making machine

Abstract Paneer is an acid‐set dairy product having rising demand in the Indian subcontinent. A low‐cost machine was developed at the Department of Food Plant Operations, College of Food and Dairy Technology, India to mechanize the paneer production. The designed machine consisted of a milk heating tank, coagulation tank, pressing unit, and controller unit. The machine was evaluated for its performance in terms of yield (%), moisture content (% w.b.), acidity (%), and organoleptic properties at different levels of factors such as pressure applied (0.3, 0.4, 0.5, and 0.6 MPa), coagulant (vinegar and citric acid), and coagulation temperature (70, 80, and 90°C). In comparison, a maximum yield of 16.74% and hardness, adhesiveness, and chewiness values of 25723.03 g, −21.90 g·s, and 8998.93, respectively, were obtained when vinegar was used as coagulant at the coagulation temperature of 80°C at 0.5 MPa of applied pressure. The corresponding treatment recorded a moisture content of 51.35% (w.b.). The working capacity of the developed machine was 40 L/hr. The operational cost of the automatic paneer‐making machine was Rs. 2.11 per liter ($0.028 per liter), whereas it was estimated to be Rs. 2.56 per liter ($0.034 per liter) in the manual method. Thus, the developed machine proved to be economically feasible when compared to the manual method. Practical Applications The current manual practice followed for the production of paneer is tedious, time‐consuming, and laborious. Technology was developed toward the mechanization of unit operations involved in paneer processing for the benefit of the cottage industry. The research findings will reduce human drudgery, unhygienic handling, and hence quality paneer can be manufactured at low cost. This research would make a way to find automated paneer production techniques.