Multi-Stage Method of Milk Powder Production: Energy Costs Analysis

Introduction. One of the promising methods in the production of dairy and other food in concentrated, condensed and dry forms is a consistent combination of dehydration methods. The subject of this research relevant now is approaches to the calculation of such processes. The work objective is to analyze the dehydration staging effect on the energy consumption in this process. Study objects and methods. Liquid, concentrated and powdered dairy products: whole and skim milk, milk whey, whole milk substitutes, as well as their dehydration parameters at certain stages. The determination of moisture and solids mass fraction in products was carried out with a standard method. Results and discussion. The feasibility of using a multi-stage dehydration method for the production of various types of powder milk products has been justified. The characteristic boundaries of solids mass fraction at different stages of the process were determined. The material-balance equation made it possible to define the formula for the total specific energy consumption relative to the unit of the final dry product at an arbitrary number of dehydration stages. The paper contains examples of a comparative efficiency assessment of the dehydration process carried out at different stages from the point of view of energy costs of its implementation. Conclusion. The research featured various issues related to the use of dehydration methods in the production of milk powder products. An equation has been drawn up to estimate the specific energy consumption of the multi-stage dehydration process relative to a unit of the final dry product. The use of a multi-stage process allows to effectively reduce the specific energy consumption, as well as to generate new high quality products.