Energy Use Profile in Concentrated and Powdered Milk Manufacture

Abstract

Direct energy requirements in a plant (Plant A) producing evaporated and condensed milk were 508 kcal/kg processed while those in a plant (Plant B) producing condensed and dehydrated milk were 544kcal. Thermal energy was the major component accounting for about 82% of the direct energy consumed. Consumption of electricity in the plants was less than in fluid milk plants studied earlier. This was due to the absence of refrigerated storage areas. In Plant A, packaging energy was nearly equal to the thermal energy input; steel cans for evaporated milk contributed 87% of the packaging energy. In Plant B, packaging energy was 11 kcal/kg of milk processed. About 14% of the thermal energy consumed was lost into discarded waste streams and hot equipment surfaces. Heat recovery and insulation techniques can reduce the present losses by about 60%.