Milk is a valuable
nutritious food that has a short shelf-life and requires careful handling. Milk
is highly perishable because it is an excellent medium for the growth of
microorganisms – particularly bacterial pathogens – that can cause spoilage and
diseases in consumers. Milk processing allows the preservation of milk for
days, weeks or months and helps to reduce food-borne illness.
The usable life of milk can be extended for several days
through techniques such as cooling (which is the factor most likely to
influence the quality of raw milk) or fermentation. Pasteurization is a heat
treatment process that extends the usable life of milk and reduces the numbers
of possible pathogenic microorganisms to levels at which they do not represent
a significant health hazard. Milk can be processed further to convert it into
high-value, concentrated and easily transportable dairy products with long
shelf-lives, such as butter, cheese and ghee.
Processing of dairy products gives small-scale dairy
producers higher cash incomes than selling raw milk and offers better
opportunities to reach regional and urban markets. Milk processing can also
help to deal with seasonal fluctuations in milk supply. The transformation of
raw milk into processed milk and products can benefit entire communities by
generating off-farm jobs in milk collection, transportation, processing and
marketing.
Content
Different milk heating techniques: batch and flow,
thermisation, low and high heat pasteurisation, sterilisation, ultra-high
temperature heat treatment
Operation of a flow plate heat exchanger: pressure and
temperature adjustment
Cleaning in place
Cream separation: operation, creaming percentage,
cleaning
Milk fat standardisation: calculations and
interpretations
Homogenisation of milk fat: operation and effect in milk
products
Processing steps and equipment of the manufacture of:
fresh pasteurised milk
sweet milk products (flavoured, custard, porridges,
desserts)
fresh fermented milk products: sour milk, different types
of yoghurt (set, stir, drink, probiotic) sour cream
butter and butter milk
ice cream (incl. frozen yoghurt)
condensed milk
milk powders
Quality analyses of dairy products: chemical,
microbiological and organoleptic/sensorial, recording and interpretation of the
results
Determination of yields and losses
Cleaning and disinfection procedures, application
possibilities of the different chemical agents; do’s and don’ts
Hygiene control in the plant
Auxiliaries and maintenance of processing equipment