Ceramic Membrane Used in Whey Desalination Field, Helping Dairy Powder Enterprises Stand Out

For infants, breast milk is their high-quality "food", and the sugar, protein and fat in breast milk are balanced according to the needs of the baby. However, some mothers have to use formula milk or mixed feeding for their babies due to insufficient milk or other reasons. In addition, the arrival of the "baby boom" has made the demand for formula milk grow exponentially.

Application of ceramic membrane in the field of whey desalination

Due to the infinite market potential of formula milk powder, the demand for its raw materials will also increase, even exceeding the supply. It is well known that proteins, as the basis of infant nutrition, affect the development of bones, brain cells, and immune system function, and therefore their nutritional value in formula milk powder is irreplaceable. Whey powder, as a high-quality protein nutrition source in formula milk, is of paramount importance. However, if the mineral content of whey powder is too high, it will increase the burden on the kidneys of infants and children, so desalination must be performed. On the other hand, desalted whey protein can remove mineral salts in whey protein and allow the protein ratio to be adjusted to closer to the level of breast milk.

Milk whey has a large production volume and is nutritionally rich, with its nutritional components accounting for 55% of raw milk. According to relevant data, about 8-9 tons of whey are discharged per ton of cheese produced. And whey protein is a sensitive protein that is prone to deformation under heat and acid, and its solubility is significantly reduced, which places great restrictions on its processing methods. Therefore, it is very necessary to equip a complete set of whey desalination and concentration solutions, while improving the desalination rate and purity of whey protein powder without affecting its solubility.

Technology of ceramic membrane applied in the field of whey desalination

Considering the current production process, it is very necessary to integrate ceramic membrane technology into the process of whey desalination and concentration. By separating water, salt and lactose with lower molecular weight from whey, the proportion of protein, lactose and salt in the concentrated liquid is improved. As the concentration level increases, the protein content of the product can be adjusted to the desired value. Generally speaking, whey can be concentrated to more than 25% total solids, and after spray drying, whey protein concentrate powder with a protein content of 35% to 80% can be obtained.

In the fierce competition environment where many dairy giants and companies are entering the market of formula milk powder, the closer the nutritional value of formula milk powder is to breast milk, the higher the bidding rate, and the key to measuring whether the nutritional value of formula milk powder is close to breast milk. The quality of raw materials makes the production process of raw materials become the fulcrum of the entire milk powder production line. Ceramic membrane can not only provide competitive high-quality production processes for milk powder enterprises, but also enable milk powder enterprises to stand out in this fiercely competitive blue ocean of formula milk powder.