Process and device for removing the plastic coating from cheese and cheese with a reinforced plastic coating suitable for that

The invention relates to a process for removing the plastic coating from cheese by peeling, which process comprises the following steps: a) a ripened cheese with a plastic coating that is suitable for use in ripening is provided, where the force before rupture (F rupture ) of the plastic coating is greater than the force of adhesion (F adhesion ) between the said plastic coating and the cheese; and b) the cheese is peeled with a peeling force (F peeling ) that is greater than F adhesion but smaller than F rupture , where the plastic coating also displays a force for a 10% elongation (F elongation ) that is greater than the peeling force, and where the temperature of the plastic coating during peeling in Step b) is higher than its glass temperature but lower than 30°C. In the case of coated cheese that exhibits this balance of forces, the plastic coating can be peeled off a cheese without tearing, breaking and/or excessively stretching it. The advantages of peeling are that it is quick and simple, can be carried out automatically or semi-automatically, so it is less labour-intensive, and the rind losses are reduced without having to use an additional solvent, which is undesirable. The plastic coating is optionally reinforced with a top layer before the peeling operation, where the top layer may be e.g. a thicker PVA layer or a top layer formed by a hot-melt adhesive and a polyolefin film over it. The invention also relates to a device for carrying out this process, and to peeled slices of cheese with a drying edge.