How is Milk Powder Made? It’s Advantages and Disadvantages

The milk powder is essentially milk solids. It is made by removing the water from the whole milk, which consists of around 87 percent water. But how is milk powder made? Let’s find out.

Milk powder is made from whole milk by drying it. The proportion of dry matter in the milk is increased in a so-called evaporator by evaporating the water portion of the milk and is then subsequently dried in a spray tower. The free water is extracted from the milk so that the water content is reduced from 87 percent to 3 percent unfree water. About six to seven liters of milk are needed to produce one kilogram of milk powder.

Milk powder consists of about 26 percent fat, 25 percent protein, and 38 percent milk sugar. Skimmed milk powder is made using the same process but from skimmed milk. The water content in skimmed milk powder is about 3-4 percent. The skimmed milk powder contains around 36 percent protein and 52 percent milk sugar. 

Whey powder is made from whey. Whey is a by-product of cheese making. Whey is available as sweet whey powder or sour whey powder. Whey powder contains around 11 percent high-quality protein and 70 percent milk sugar Milk powder contains fewer vitamins than liquid milk. Some of the vitamins are lost during the drying process. 

The finished product is packed in paper bags to ensure. Cans are sometimes used for export overseas to keep pests away and to protect the product against environmental influences.

Uses of Milk Powder

Milk powder offers numerous uses. It is used for the production of cheese, yogurt, confectionery, and baked goods, as a basis for instant baby food and above all for the production of chocolate. Milk powder is also often found in foods with a longer shelf life.

The milk powder is also suitable for the production of milk. The milk made from the milk powder is also known as dry milk. The milk can be produced industrially in a dry milk plant or at home. Water only has to be added to the powder again so that milk is produced again. The only benefit of dry milk is that it can be stored for a long time in powder form and can be used when needed by mixing with water. However, the taste of dry milk differs from the taste of conventional milk.

Advantages and disadvantages

Advantages of Milk Powder are the possibility of storage over longer periods, like over six months. It is suitable for the creation of emergency reserves, the low storage costs because less space is required to store it and does not require tanks or cooling and the resulting good transport options for the milk powder.

Also Read – Why Is Water Called Universal Solvent? Does it really dissolve everything? Let’s find out.

The disadvantage of dry milk production is the increased energy expenditure especially in the production of milk powder. Another disadvantage is the need for a dry milk plant at the place of consumption.