Artificial neural network modelling for cream cheese fermentation pH prediction at lab and industrial scales

Abstract The mechanism of cream cheese fermentation has a complex, which makes its modelling a challenging task. Researchers have proposed different approaches to modelling the fermentation process. The developed models can be categorized into white, grey, and black box models. In this paper, we studied these models and investigated their application by using lab and industrial scale data which were obtained in the presence of disturbances. The results showed that using the states of the white box model for predicting pH is challenging because of the complexity of the cream cheese compound. Although this problem was solved in the grey box model, there were difficulties in applying both white and grey box models mainly due to the lack of online measurements of states. Unlike white and grey box models, a black box model, an ANN model, was developed based on pH data, which are measured online. Using the experimental pH data, ANN model configurations with optimal feedback and time intervals were used to predict industrial fermentation pH dynamics. The ANN model provided reliable pH predictions at both lab and industrial scales.