Separators, decanters and centrifuges for Dairies

Cream separators manufactured by GEA Westfalia Separator or Alfa Laval may be used to manufacture milk and cheese products. These cream separators separate the milk, which has already been heated to 50°C, into cream and skimmed milk. Contaminants contained in the raw milk may also be removed. The skimmed milk may then be mixed back with the cream to achieve the fat content desired for the milk. Click here for more information about skimming milk.

Whey is a secondary product created during the production of cheese. The whey contains a low proportion of fat. This fat may be removed from the watery residue liquid with the help of a whey skimming separator during an additional phase of work.

Cleaning separators (clarifiers) specially designed for this purpose may be used to remove contaminants from the raw milk. Click here for more information about cleaning milk.

The whey must be cleaned before it may be conveyed to the skimming separator for skimming. The most effective method of such pre-cleaning is to use clarifying separators which have been designed especially for such applications. The use of such separators also increases the efficiency of downstream whey-skimming separators.

Bactofuges remove spores and/or germs from the milk. Bactofuges – also called bacteria removing separators – may be used in a variety of ways. Centrifugal bactofugation may be used to extend the shelf life of drinking milk. Centrifugal bactofugation may be used to remove undesirable spore-forming organisms in dairy milk (e.g. butyric acid bacteria, which may cause late blowing through butyric fermentation). The centrifugal bactofugation of dairy milk may also help reduce or even entirely eliminate the use of nitrate and lysozyme. Click here for more information about bactofugation.

Special quark separators used in the production of curd cheese may be supplied with thickened skimmed milk. The concentrated curd cheese is continuously discharged as the end product. Modern curd separators are all CIP-capable. Click here for more information about quark production.

CIP-capable special separators may be used in the production of cream cheese. In contrast to curd-cheese separators, these are not supplied with thickened skimmed milk but with thickened fatty milk. Click here for more information about soft cheese production.

Special separators may be used in the production of double cream cheese possessing at least 70% fat content in dry matter. Either whole milk with approximately 8-12% fat content or skimmed-milk powder and butter oil may be used as the starting product. The cheese mass is separated at high temperatures so that a shelf life of up to around three months may be achieved for double cream cheese. Click here for more information about soft cheese production.

Special separators may be used during a two-stage process in the production of butter oil to almost completely remove water from cream and fat-free dry masses. The butter oil thus produced is particularly suitable for use in the tropics as it possesses a long shelf-life.

The CIP cleaning liquids used in dairies usually have to be replaced quickly if they're not treated. Which may result in considerable costs incurred for disposal and new cleaning liquids. But special separators are also available which are able to very efficiently and very rapidly clean these CIP cleaning liquids to extend their usefulness.

Casein is the structural protein in milk and therefore the main ingredient in curd-cheese and cheese. Casein is produced from skimmed milk to which hydrochloric acid is added. This causes the milk proteins to precipitate; they may then be extracted with decanters and filtering systems. The casein produced in this way is washed and conveyed to a second decanting stage and subsequently dried. Click here for more information about casein production.

Lactose is produced from the whey that remains from cheese production when the casein and fat have been separated from the curdled milk. The lactose contained in whey is precipitated, separated and washed in several stages. Click here for more information about lactose production.

The mix of cheese fines, whey and water produced when whey-fines removing and skimming separators are used may be processed into concentrated valuable cheese masses. Special decanters that considerably increase the dry mass of such mixes of cheese fines, whey and water may be employed in this task.

Lactose is produced from the whey that remains from cheese production when the casein and fat have been separated from the curdled milk. The lactose contained in the whey is crystallized out of the over-saturated whey concentration and separated in a single or several decanters. The lactose's residual moisture may be optimized in the final stage through the removal of water in so-called worm-screen centrifuges. Click here for more information about lactose production.