High solids milk drying - process parameters and product quality

Milk powder production is the most energy intensive dairy manufacturing process. This thesis examines the drying of high concentration dairy liquids by monitoring droplet shrinkage behaviour and particle formation process. The research work investigates the effects of material and process conditions on droplet drying as well as the correlation with a drying model for simulations of high concentration dairy formulations in a commercial spray dryer, which enables reliable predictions of dryer performance and product quality. This will help the dairy industry achieve energy savings and improve process efficiency.