Low-bacteria milk powders with a high WPNI (III)

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11330826-B2
Application number	US-201715643611-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 7, 2017
Priority date	Sep 29, 2016
Publication date	May 17, 2022
Grant date	May 17, 2022

Abstract

A low-bacteria milk powder with a high WPNI is suggested, which is obtainable by(a) providing a raw milk;(b) heating the raw milk in at least one tubular heat exchanger to a temperature of at least 20° C.;(c) separating the cream, obtaining a skimmed milk;(d) pasteurising the skimmed milk in a tubular heat exchanger for a period from 10 to 60 seconds at a temperature from 72 to 75° C.;(e) evaporating the pasteurised skimmed milk to a dry matter content from 35 to 55% by weight; and(f) drying the pasteurised skimmed milk concentrate in a spray tower.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A process for the production of a low-bacteria milk powder with a high whey protein nitrogen index, consisting of the following steps:
(a) providing raw milk;
(b) heating the raw milk in a first heat exchanger and a second heat exchanger, wherein at least one of said first heat exchanger and said second heat exchanger is a tubular heat exchanger, and wherein said first heat exchanger and said second heat exchanger are serially connected, and further wherein the raw milk is heated to about 35° C. in said first heat exchanger and to about 55° C. in said second heat exchanger;
(c) separating cream to obtain skimmed milk in a separator;
(d) pasteurising the skimmed milk in a further tubular heat exchanger for a period from 10 to 60 seconds at a temperature from 72 to 75° C. to obtain a pasteurized skimmed milk;
(e) evaporating the pasteurised skimmed milk to a dry matter content from about 35 to about 55% by weight to obtain a pasteurised skimmed milk concentrate; and
(f) drying the pasteurised skimmed milk concentrate in a spray tower to obtain the low-bacteria milk powder wherein said milk powder having a whey protein nitrogen index of at least 6 is produced and said milk powder has less than 1,000 thermophilic bacteria per mg. and/or less than 5,000 mesophilic bacteria per mg and/or no pathogenic bacteria are produced;
wherein each of the process steps a-f is carried out without storing the milk.

2. The process of claim 1 , wherein said milk powder having a whey protein nitrogen index of between 7.0 and 7.5 is produced.

3. The process of claim 1 , wherein the pasteurised skimmed milk concentrate is directly sprayed.

4. The process of claim 1 , wherein spray drying is performed at a temperature in the range from about 180 to about 260° C.

5. The process of claim 1 , wherein the pasteurised skimmed milk concentrate is heated to a temperature of about 75° C. before the drying step (f).

Assignees

• Dmk Deutsches Milchkontor Gmbh

Inventors

• Holst Thomas
• Nolte Andreas

Classifications

• A23B11/133

  and progressively transported through the apparatus · CPC title

• A23B2/46

  with transport through tubes · CPC title

• A23C9/14 Primary

  in which the chemical composition of the milk is modified by non-chemical treatment · CPC title

• A23C9/18 Primary

  Milk in dried and compressed or semi-solid form · CPC title

• A23C9/16 Primary

  Agglomerating or granulating milk powder; Making instant milk powder; Products obtained thereby (A23C9/18 takes precedence) · CPC title