Frozen Cheese Stick Production Stages
Our facility, which became operational in December 2024, has a production capacity of approximately 2 tons of finished product per hour.
In the production of frozen cheese sticks, our primary goal is to preserve the freshness of our products for a long time using the flash-freezing method. Additionally, we ensure food safety by strictly following hygiene and sanitation principles at every stage, while making the product ready to serve in a short time (2 minutes).
Raw Material Acceptance
Cheese received in sliced or stick form is accepted based on predefined acceptance criteria.
Raw Material Storage
Cheeses that meet quality criteria are stored in a warehouse at a temperature of +4°C.
Mixing
Auxiliary ingredients are added to the chopped cheese to prepare the cheese dough mixture.
Forming
The cheese dough is shaped into the desired cylindrical form with the help of a molding machine.
Liquid Coating
The cylindrical cheese sticks are passed through a liquid coating to ensure better adhesion of the granular coating and to achieve the desired flavor.
Granular Coating
Cheese sticks that have been through the liquid coating process are passed through the granular coating machine to achieve the desired crispiness and flavor.
Fryer
After the initial granular coating, the cheese sticks are passed once more through the liquid and granular coating processes, then quickly fried by passing through heated oil with the help of a conveyor belt. The reason for applying the coating twice is to prevent the cheese from bursting and leaking out due to heat. The frying oil temperature is typically maintained between 177–180 °C. This temperature range ensures the product absorbs the minimum amount of oil without caramelizing. The goal is to increase dry matter content, achieve the desired internal and external texture, obtain the preferred frying color, shorten cooking time, and enhance the final product’s flavor through the oil.
Individual Quick Frozen (IQF)
IQF (Individual Quick Frozen) is an advanced system and application in frozen food technology. With this method, food products are rapidly frozen in a spiral freezer at -40°C. This process occurs as the water inside the products freezes, allowing the foods to have a long shelf life without the use of additives. To prevent nutrient loss during the process, the cell membranes in the food must not be ruptured. Therefore, the temperature of the food must rapidly drop to -5°C. Flash freezing slows down and halts all microbial activities. Freezing is a very natural method of preservation; the only difference between this method and a household freezer is that the product’s temperature is rapidly lowered to -18°C through flash freezing.
Packaging & Boxing
The cheese dough is shaped into the desired cylindrical form with the help of a molding machine.
Storage
Boxed products are stacked on pallets and stored in warehouses at -18°C until they are shipped.