On April 3, 2025, the head and associate professor of the Department of Technologies of Natural and Synthetic Polymers, Fats and Food Products of the National Research Institute of USUCT USUST visited LLC “DVK-Group” (Solonyansky Dairy Plant). They were hospitably greeted by the co-owner of the enterprise, the chief technologist and master cheese makers.

During the visit, the department employees got acquainted with the full cycle of production processes, learned about the features of making different types of cheeses – suluguni, pigtail cheese, brynza and others. They had the opportunity not only to see the technological stages, but also to personally participate in production – for the first time to make suluguni cheese on the latest equipment.

The practical part took place on a universal automatic Bondareff craft cheese factory with a capacity of 50 liters, which was recently purchased for the educational and scientific work of the department. This equipment allows you to control all stages of the technological process: heating and pasteurization of milk, ripening of the curd, mechanical cutting of cheese grains using a lyre or knife, kneading and drying of grains thanks to an adjustable mixer with reverse, forming a cheese layer, cheddarization. The equipment is also equipped with the ability to heat treat the cheese head and prepare ricotta from whey after cooking the main product.