Max value from milk processing with razor-sharp quality control

Standardise incoming milk closer to target levels with consistently accurate analysis

There was a time when popping out to pick up some milk meant only one choice – full fat or skimmed. Today, the consumer milk horizon has broadened dramatically. Besides a wider range of traditional milk products, plant-based alternatives are shooting up in bewildering forms, questioning the very definition of what milk is and challenging traditional approaches to milk processing as a fresh category.

Whatever the product, consumers and e-commerce buyers alike want information about source of the milk, how it is produced, why it is safe, implications for health especially from a nutrition and allergy point of view, and, increasingly, the sustainability of production methods.

At same time, traditional concerns associated with consumer milk processing remain. Just some might include volatility of supply, price, shelf-life and tighter than ever profit margins.

Insights add value

Consumer milk process line

Incoming milk

Standardise your fat and protein content for consistent products and maximum profit. Make on the spot checks on hygiene quality for optimal shelf-life and screen for accidental or deliberate adulteration of the milk supply.

Final product

Check your finished products before dispatch and ensure allergen control when manufacturing both plant-based and milk products in same factory.

Standardise incoming milk closer to target levels with consistently accurate analysis

Small adjustments, big impact: milk standardisation is a proven technique for getting the most from milk processing. For consumer milk production, fat and protein content are likely to be the main parameters of interest with speed and accuracy being the key to handling variations in supply.

The faster the results, the sooner those sudden variations in composition can be accommodated and the more accurate the results, the closer adjustments to target values can be made.

For instance, in the production of whole milk with a required minimum 3.5% fat content, fat standardisation is necessary as cows’ milk typically contains 3.8% fat. With knowledge about the fat content of the skimmed milk and the cream after the separator, it is possible to standardise by blending cream back into the skim line to reach exactly 3.5% fat.

Not only does this standardisation bring composition in line with specified legal limits, it also ensures that you do not give away valuable components, which could have otherwise been sold at a much higher price.

3,5%

Whole milk requires minimum 3.5% fat content while cows’ milk typically contains 3.8% fat. With the right analytical tools you can match consumer milk regulations precisely while making the most of valuable butterfat content in other products.

More about standardisation

High accuracy of milk analysis is critical for reliable standardisation. This has been achievable with analytical solutions that make use of a technology called Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR).

Well known solutions such as the MilkoScan™ FT120 and MilkoScan™ FT1 have provided dairies with valuable analytical data for milk standardisation for decades. However, some manual operational tasks are necessary to periodically check instrument performance and this is especially inconvenient for modern organisations with growing populations of instruments across multiple sites.

The introduction of the MilkoScan™ FT3 analyser makes milk standardisation even more profitable by making it easier to maintain top performance all the time. It has a patented automatic performance check and adjustment function so there is no more instrument drift and variation of results between instruments. There is no more need to perform time-consuming standardisation checks or costly reference analysis.

The consistent performance also makes the validation of instrument results across multiple sites fully transparent. In short, it is the perfect tool for milk standardisation where small margins make a big difference.

Hygienic quality for maximum shelf life

Another tanker arrives, but what is the hygienic quality inside, and will it wreck your plans for shelf life?

Until recently, checking the hygienic quality of milk has been a challenge due to time-consuming test methods. The result is that thousands of litres of milk can flow into the process unchecked with the risk of negative effects such as poor shelf life.

Learn how advances in analytical technology now make it possible to test milk within minutes so that a result is available before it is unloaded from the delivery truck and mixed with the rest of the supply.

Senior Technical Manager of Müller Milk and Ingredients explains the value of rapid raw milk hygiene testing.

Screen for adulterants as part of your existing control

Milk deliveries are prone to accidental or deliberate contamination within the supply chain. The problem is greater in developing milk industries, but even the most well-established milk delivery and processing systems can suffer from accidental contamination, for example, with cleaning fluids used to clean tanker trucks.

A smart line of defense is that the same analytical equipment used for milk standardisation can also perform checks for possible adulteration at the same time.

Exploiting powerful FTIR technology, the MilkoScan^TM FT3 provides the most precise and widest scope of adulteration screening capabilities in the industry. You can check for deliberate or accidental adulteration while performing normal quality control tests.

Intended and non-intended milk adulteration is a fact of life in modern dairy production. With an abnormal milk screening model, you can screen milk for abnormalities at the same time as other component checks are performed.

Watch the video and learn about the basics of milk adulteration screening

Effective finished product analysis

Analysis at the critical final stage of production helps you to limit liabilities and potentially damaging product recalls. Instead you can enjoy the peace of mind that comes from knowing your products meet specifications.

The majority of this testing can be performed using rapid routine analysis with FTIR, but certified chemical analysis methods are also often required for validation of compliance with certain end-product criteria. For chemical analysis we can provide a complete range of solutions aimed at automating steps for speed and safety while minimising use of chemicals.

Performance, uptime and transparency of data

All FOSS solutions combine technology you can trust with the most advanced connectivity capabilities. This complete solution approach enables consistent high analytical performance for maximum return on investment and unrivalled service and support.

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With you in your daily work

Our integrated and remotely controlled support and optimization services ensure maximum value from all your FOSS solution wherever you are in the world. Beyond on-site maintenance, our service engineers and application specialists are always with you online. The team monitors performance status and secures that your connected analytical operations run smoothly. Our preventive maintenance warrants up-time and quality of data - day after day. Read more.