When the air silently steals your profits
Martin Bouchard stared at his exit scale with a grimace he recognized all too well. Once again, the cheese wheels at his Lanaudière cheese dairy were showing a weight discrepancy that exceeded all his projections. 5% more than expected. 5% less on cheeses he’d been carefully producing for three weeks. “It’s not cheese I’m losing, it’s cash that’s evaporating in the aging room, he told his production manager. He was right, down to the last word.
A reality that no one in the industry likes to quantify
In the Quebec cheese industry, shrinkage is part of everyday vocabulary, but it’s never really mastered. For soft cheeses with a bloomy rind, it can reach 5-8% in 9-10 days of aging. In the case of lactic cheeses, it can sometimes exceed 40% between demolding and marketing. These figures seem inevitable. They are not.
| Cheese-making technology | Resoaking + aging brake | Reference period |
|---|---|---|
|
Lactic pasta |
25% to more than 40 |
Variable |
|
Soft pasta with bloomy rind |
5 à 8 % |
9 to 10 days |
|
Soft washed-rind pasta |
8 à 15 % |
17 to 35 days |
|
Blue |
4 à 8 % |
Depending on aging time |
|
Cooked pressed pasta |
5 à 12 % |
5 to 20 weeks |
|
Hard pasta |
1.2 to 1.5% for the 1st month, then 0.2 to 0.4% thereafter |
Next month |
These orders of magnitude vary according to the actual conditions in your aging room. Non-optimized airflow management can push these figures well beyond normal ranges.
Air flow management in aging rooms is based on 4 key parameters: temperature, humidity, air velocity and gas composition. This is precisely what separates controlled shrinkage from sudden shrinkage. Yet in many installations, these parameters operate in reactive rather than preventive mode. Equipment ages, settings are never overhauled, and every season brings its share of unpleasant surprises.
For cheese dairies looking to improve their yields, hygienic food processing air treatment is no longer a luxury. It’s a strategic lever with direct access
The triggering event: an audit that changes everything
For Martin, the breaking point came during a compliance inspection. The technician measured air speeds of up to 0.6 m/s in several areas of the room. For air management in the bloomy-rind soft dough zone, the recommendation is between 0.1 and 0.4 m/s. There is a direct relationship between air speed and cheese weight loss. Above the recommended threshold, evaporation is accelerated and the rind dries out before the aging ferments can establish themselves.
There was also a temperature difference of 2.5°C between the back of the room and the entrance. No cold battery was calibrated to maintain a delta of less than 1°C with the ambient temperature. In less than an hour, the picture was clear. It wasn’t the recipe that was the problem. It was the environment that wasn’t supporting the product.
Encountering a different approach
It was at the Cheese Expo that Martin had his first serious conversation with our team. What struck him was not our catalog of products, but our method. Before making any recommendations, we offered him a complete analysis of his aging conditions. We mapped temperatures and measured air velocities at different stack heights. We also evaluated the cheese dairy’s ventilation system at each stage of production.
We didn’t promise him a new installation. We offered them a detailed understanding of their existing environment, followed by targeted optimization based on what their cheeses really needed. This combination of highly hygienic air and energy efficiency is what distinguishes our approach from simple equipment replacement.
What the auditrevealed
The data collected revealed several sources of unwanted shrinkage. To find out how to reduce shrinkage in the aging room, we first mapped actual conditions station by station. The stacks were placed less than 40 cm from the walls, causing overspeed at the edges. The loading rate exceeded 85%, forcing chaotic air circulation between cheeses.
Shrinkage heterogeneity between the trays varied from 3 to 4% depending on their position in the stack. This was enough to generate non-conforming batches and significant cutting losses. In the cold battery, the temperature delta during aging was not properly regulated.
As a result, an even temperature in the aging room was not achieved. Condensation formed on the surface of the cheeses during cooling. These areas favored crust defects and accelerated the premature aging of the ferments.
Transformation: figures that speak for themselves
We optimized the aging room and reconfigured the air flows in the 3 production areas: re-drying, drying and hâloir. The results were already evident in the first 2 production cycles.
Overall shrinkage on soft pasta decreased by 1.8%. Out of an annual volume of 120 tonnes, this represents over 2,000 kg recovered.
We measured and validated every single aging parameter.
- The temperature is uniform at ±0.4°C throughout the room.
- Air velocities in contact with the cheeses remain below 0.3 m/s.
- Humidity is stable between 90 and 92% relative humidity.
- The stirring rate was calibrated at 40 volumes per hour during the drying phase, then reduced to 15 volumes per hour during aging.
- Energy consumption has fallen by 31% thanks to fine battery regulation and heat recovery integrated into the system.
- Return on investment was achieved in 20 months.
Martin no longer needs to stare worriedly at his scale.
An aging room becomes a competitive advantage
HACCP requirements are tightening, and food industry margins remain under pressure. Against this backdrop, mastering the management of air flows in cheese factories means seizing a concrete lever that is accessible in the short term. Cheese dairies with precise control over their aging rooms no longer suffer from shrinkage. They plan for it, transforming a biological constraint into a predictable operating parameter.
Stack positioning, insulation, stirring rate, cold battery calibration: every detail counts. And every detail can be measured, adjusted and optimized.
And now, what's the situation at home?
How many kilos leave your aging room each week unsold? If this question stops you in your tracks, it's time to answer it with data, not estimates. We offer you a personalized analysis of your shrinkage reduction potential. No sales presentation, no catalog. We draw up a concrete diagnosis of your current aging conditions, with quantified recommendations on what you could recover.
Article written by
Important note
Martin Bouchard is a fictitious character, but the results presented here reflect real mandates carried out with cheese producers, for which we maintain confidentiality. Shrinkage data by technology are taken from technical literature in the sector. Actual performance will vary according to each installation: volume processed, process, thermal loads and ambient conditions. We recommend a concept study before making any investment decision.
What type of cheese dairy are you or do you want to become?
Every aging room is unique. Whether you’re starting up a micro-fromagerie, looking to correct a specific problem, or optimizing an existing facility, our team can help.
Whatever your level of maturity, the fundamental issues remain the same: understanding your environment, stabilizing your conditions, and developing your mastery. The difference is the level of precision you choose to achieve.
We’re there for you every step of the way, from initial analysis to production support. Our team of specialists works with cheese dairies across Canada and the United States.
| Profile | Your reality | Your challenges | Key solutions | What it does for you |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Start-up cheesemaker / Micro-fromagerie |
You launch or structure your production. Every batch counts. |
– Stabilize your first refinements – Avoid losses – Understanding your environment |
– GFA audit (in case of doubt or problem) – Circul’Air or ACCESS solution – Hum-Kit (humidity-based) |
A reliable basis for regular production, without unnecessary complexity.
|
|
Growing cheese dairy |
Your production is increasing. You’re looking for more consistency.
|
– Reduce batch-to-batch variation |
– ModulAir (Climinox) |
Fewer corrections, more consistency, better overall control. |
|
Advanced / Expert cheesemaking |
You’re looking for precision, reproducibility and fine-tuning. |
– Control your conditions with precision |
– THYGRE range |
Controlled, measured, reproducible refining. |