Maximising dairy processing yield

By Wallace Wittkoff, Director, Global Segment Management – Hygienic, The Pump Solutions Group

The current trend in the dairy industry for value-added products has highlighted the benefits of maximising yields and reducing product waste. Mouvex eccentric disc pumps can play a vital role, recovering yield and helping to reduce operational costs.

When you think of the dairy industry, the products that first come to mind are likely the staples; products like milk, butter and ice cream. Meanwhile, there has been growth in the demand for newer, ‘value-added’ products like Greek-style yogurt, probiotic-heavy dairy foods and high-protein dairy-based beverages.

As the dairy industry evolves, so is the need for hygienic production and handling processes with higher yields. This can be accomplished with optimised product recovery. Product recovery is defined as the high yield of products or ingredients by substantially eliminating waste that would otherwise remain in suction or discharge process lines during changeovers or at the end of production runs.

If the new, value-added dairy products have one thing in common, it is that they are made from expensive ingredients and are sold at premium prices. This means that reducing waste at both the suction and discharge ends of the production line’s pumping system has to be a top priority if both production costs and end product sales are to be optimised.

Hand in hand with the need to make dairy-production operations more effective in terms of product recovery is the necessity for the plant operator to decrease overall production costs. This can be accomplished through reduced cleaning and maintenance costs, and decreased utility expenditures.

All these goals can be achieved by one pump technology: the eccentric disc pump, specifically the SLS and C Series models from Mouvex®. Mouvex eccentric disc pumps provide low-shear, precise-flow operation for use with a dizzying array of food ingredients like flavours, yeasts, starches, creams, cultures and fruit jams, as well as finished products like yogurts, milk, toppings, fillings and ice creams. Typical product-recovery rates for Mouvex pumps are around 60 to 80 per cent or more.

These recoveries can save a large volume yogurt manufacturer $US100,000 or more per year in product for each individual process line. Recently, in a dairy product plant, 16 locations for product recovery were identified, worth a value of more than $4 million per year for the entire facility.

In addition, eliminating the loss of product during production runs means lower cleaning costs by reducing the necessary time, labour and water/ chemical usage. For applications normally requiring double mechanical seals, Mouvex’s sealless design eliminates the need for water-flush mechanical seals. This can equal annual water savings upwards of $10,000 per pump for manufacturing operations. Finally, because eccentric disc pumps do not suffer from slip when transferring lower-viscosity products, they are one of the most energy efficient pump styles available, resulting in lower operating costs.

To learn more about the benefits that Mouvex Eccentric Disc Pumps can offer in dairy production applications, contact Hurll Nu-Way, on 1300 556 380 or visit www.hnw.com.au.

Find Food Processing Related Companies In The Pump Industry Capability Guide

KSB Australia

Pump Systems PTY Ltd.

NOV

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