Overview
Separation & standardisation in butter & cheese production
Handling of fat content in raw milk
In butter & cheese production, at the start of the separation and standardisation process the raw milk is heated to 50-55 °C via a heat exchanger, in order to be able to separate the fat from the raw milk more easily. Separation then takes place in a centrifugal separator. The standardisation that follows involves adjusting the fat content of the milk product by adding cream or skimmed milk. Control valves, flow and density measuring devices and a computer-controlled system sets the fat content of the milk to the desired value. To enable precise standardisation, a constant pressure is set in the skimmed milk outlet of the centrifugal separator with the help of a constant pressure valve. In the next step, homogenisation, the fat globules are evenly distributed in the milk by grinding. This is ideally done at temperatures of 50-55 °C with normal milk concentrations. The warm milk is then cooled in the heat exchanger in front of the centrifugal separator with the help of the incoming cold raw milk, which is heated in return.
KROHNE offers suitable devices for temperature, pressure and flow measurement in the separation and standardisation process. For example, Coriolis flowmeters with straight tubes can precisely measure not only the mass flow but also the fat content of the cream emerging from the separator. Magnetic-inductive and variable area flowmeters can also be used to monitor the centrifugal separator. Fast temperature sensors and compact pressure transmitters complete the range for safe process control and monitoring.