On a production scale, I increasingly use milk powder, rather than whole milk, for the manufacture of various products. Then, many consumers are wondering: “Is milk powder useful?” In order to fully answer this question, you need to have an idea of how and from which it is produced.
- This is a product produced artificially by evaporation and drying of whole milk. There are many types of milk powder: whole milk, non-fat, whey and others.
Technology for the preparation of milk powder
- Pasteurization
At this stage, the milk is heated at high temperatures. This destroys all microbes, which is a guarantee of a long shelf life of the final product.
- Evaporation
This stage is necessary to improve the taste of the finished product. At this stage, milk loses 85% of its volume.
- Drying
This step is necessary to give ordinary milk the appearance of a powder. It is made in special drying chambers. Then the milk powder is sent as a finished product for packaging.
The advantage of such a product over whole milk is the ease of transportation (due to evaporation of the product), as well as the duration of storage. Also, milk powder during storage does not need to be cooled, as whole. This is due to the low moisture content in milk powder. That is why many industries have long replaced whole milk with powdered milk in the formulations. After all, refrigerators for storage become completely unnecessary, and, therefore, there will be no additional costs.
What milk powder consists of
By organoleptic indicators, that is, by color and smell, milk powder is completely identical to natural. Also in composition and nutritional properties. Milk powder contains essential amino acids. It contains about 50% of the carbohydrates represented by lactose. About 36% are proteins. The rest is calcium and potassium.
You can store milk powder for about 8 months. Moreover, there are no special criteria and recommendations for storage.
Where is milk powder used?
Most often it is used in regions where it is not possible to use a natural product. Therefore, getting milk powder there is not a problem. You can buy it in a regular store or . To get familiar from milk powder, you need to restore it as follows. Mix dry powder and warm water in a ratio of 1: 3. You will get a liquid substance, which is identical in appearance and taste to milk.
Let's look at where milk powder is used:
- In food production. For example, in the manufacture of confectionery or bakery products;
- As the main component of baby food;
- For feeding animals of any age;
- In cosmetics. Since the components of milk have a beneficial effect on the condition of the skin and hair;
- In the manufacture of sports nutrition;
- In the production of dairy products. For example, condensed milk, kefir, yogurt and more.