eChapter Name: Layout and Milk Processing Plant and Its Management
9789372194012
eBook Name: MILK PROCESSING AND DAIRY TECHNOLOGY: PRINCIPLES, PRODUCTS, PRACTICES AND STANDARDS
2.1 Introduction
Typically, milk is obtained from domesticated animals (water buffalo, sheep, or goats) under farm-level circumstances. In smaller amounts, it can be utilized directly after boiling; but, in larger quantities, processing and storage are crucial. Farms provide their milk to milk vendors, who collect it in cans and deliver it to chilling centers or dairy processing plants. After milking, the milk is quickly chilled to 4°C, or it should be pasteurized and packaged within two hours. Before being marketed, milk must be pasteurized, with the exception of products that initially require raw milk or those that require direct application of heat, such as desiccation or another heating process. The market for novel goods and procedures is steadily growing. The main causes include rising disposable incomes, shifting consumer attitudes and concerns about safety, hygiene, and nutrition, and the entry of foreign companies.
2.2 Dairy plant requirements
The plant should be situated in an area free from waterlogging, well- protected, easily accessible by car, and equipped with a plentiful supply of drinkable water, a facility for disposing of waste, and energy.
2.2.1 Infrastructure requirements
For the receiving of milk, chilling, storing, separating, pasteurizing, homogenizing, packaging, and product manufacturing, civil works with appropriate space and machinery are needed. provisions for utility units such steam generation and refrigeration control, storage, and quality control. When choosing metals for equipment in dairy plants, look for materials that are nontoxic, tainting, corrosion-resistant, easy to clean, affordable, and long-lasting. Generally, alloys made of aluminum or 18:8 stainless steel are recommended.