IDM | News
Turning rennet and acid whey into desserts and trendy foods
Hydrosol
Residual oxygen under 2%
GEA
GEA was awarded a complete milk powder processing plant to
Open Country Dairy in New Zealand including Modified Atmosphere
Packing (MAP) that consistently provides a residual
oxygen (RO) level in the sealed 25 kilograms bags of just two
percent at the time of packing. The total project value was in
the lower double-digit million EUR range, of which EUR 3 million
was for the MAP technology.
Open Country Dairy is the second largest global exporter of
premium whole milk powders. The company’s dairy products
are valued for their quality around the world. As with all milk
powders, oxygen is the adversary when the product is transported
or stored awaiting final processing or retail packing. If
the product is exposed to high levels of oxygen it can seriously
affect its flavour and shelf life. GEA’s MAP technology ensures
that the residual oxygen level in the 25-kilogramme package
is sufficiently low as to prevent any significant deterioration in
product quality while in transit to its key marketplaces of China
and the Middle East.
This is the sixth milk processing plant GEA has supplied to
Open Country Dairy in New Zealand since 2007, across four
sites, each processing eight tonnes of milk powder per hour.
This is, however, the first time the scope of supply from GEA
has included the MAP system. Based on test results from existing
MAP machines, GEA was able to show its ability to get
the RO consistently down below the required level; this lower
RO in the bag provides an additional benefit to the customer
compared with that at the other sites. “Our system does consistently
achieve the RO level required by the customer and
we can demonstrate it,” said Greg Martin, Head of Application
Centre Dairy Pacific for GEA.
36 · 9 2017 | international-dairy.com
With Stabisol JOC stabiliser and texturing systems, rennet and acid whey
can profitably be made into new products. Hydrosol’s new functional systems
turn whey into a wide range of new products. For example, rennet whey
can be used as a basis for pudding desserts, drinks, fermented desserts and
sour cream. Acid whey can be used to make alternatives to yogurt.
The end products feature appealing mouth feel and creamy texture. The
fat content can be adjusted either with cream, or with vegetable fat. The desired
viscosity can be achieved using functional stabiliser and texturing systems.
Like yogurt, the whey alternatives can be mixed with various ingredients,
such as flavourings and colours. Through its close cooperation with its
sister companies in the Stern-Wywiol Gruppe, Hydrosol can offer individual
solutions. With its sister company OlbrichtArom, stabiliser Hydrosol can
also offer all-in compounds with customer-specific flavouring. hydrosol.de
Open Country Dairy, the second largest global exporter of premium
whole milk powders, will install a RBF 1200 Li machine
for bagging (photo: GEA)
Pre-gassing with inert gas to exclude oxygen
The key to achieving the required RO is in the process. GEA
has used its RBF 1200 Li (Limited Intervention) packing line
at Open Country Dairy. The system uses pre-gassing, in which
the bag is filled with inert gas to exclude oxygen prior to filling.
The bag is then held steady by the top thereby reducing
movement and any air disturbance in the product. The bottom
up filling technique prevents additional air being introduced
into the product during filling and the bag sealer forces out
any remaining gas on final closure. The new plant will come on
stream in September 2018. gea.com