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Milk powder production


Production Process


On arrival at the center, the milk is tested for hygiene and adulteration using organoleptic and lactometer readings. Milk is weighed using graduated aluminum milk gauges and a volume-based payment is made to suppliers. Then the collected milk will be transported to the plant. This process is designed for both the reception of milk in cans as well as in road tankers. After reception, the milk is filtered and cooled. The production process involved with milk powder plant is discussed as follows. After reception of the milk, it is filtered and cooled down to 6 Celsius and stored in a raw milk storage tank. The milk, transported to the plant by means of road tankers is additionally pulled through a degasser to remove air from the milk. From the storage tank the milk is transferred to the first section of a pasteurizer, to give the product the required temperature for standardizing and clarifying.


The standardized milk is now returned to the pasteurizer for pasteurization and recoiling. The product cooled to 6 Celsius is then stored in storage silos. Some vitamins are added where sugar can be added to the silos on request. The silos are provided with high energy mixers to ensure that the sugar will be completely dissolved. By a transfer pump the standardized milk is then fed through pre heaters, a regeneration section and a pasteurizer to the first effect of a four-effect falling film evaporator. In this section the milk is concentrated to 47% total solid or, when sugar is added, to about 52.5% total solid. The concentrate is then filtered and by a high pressure pump transferred to the atomizer nozzles of the spray dryer. The concentrate is atomized into hot drying air. The hot air evaporates the water contained in the atomized concentrate. The milk powder leaves the spray dryer to a two stage fluid bed drying and cooling unit for the final drying. Between the two stages of the drying and cooling unit a lecithin dosing system is provided. The lecithin gives the milk powder the instant quality. From the dryer and cooler the milk powder is conveyed to a packaging section. The milk powder is then packed by a volumetric-type filling machine into cans.

The alternative technology is designed to reduce the loss of the output emanating from high heat treatment of the milk and the subsequent evaporation.