Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 08-24-2026 Origin: Site
Milk powder production is a complex process involving multiple stages, such as the standardized treatment of raw materials, pasteurization, concentration, drying, cooling, and packaging.
The process utilizes specialized equipment and strict operational controls to transform liquid milk into a powdered product characterized by stable nutritional content, good solubility, and a long shelf life.
While the fundamental production processes for whole milk powder and skimmed milk powder are largely the same, the production of skimmed milk powder includes an additional processing step: milk fat separation.
Liquid milk is transformed into a stable powdered product while preserving nutritional content and ensuring food safety, facilitating storage and significantly reducing storage space requirements. The complete milk powder production process typically includes:
Raw milk reception and testing
Filtration and clarification
Standardization (formulation)
Homogenization
Pasteurization
Evaporation and concentration
Spray drying
Powder cooling and conveying
Packaging and storage
The quality of raw milk directly affects the quality of the final product; the first step in milk powder production is receiving fresh milk and conducting comprehensive testing on the raw material.
Key testing parameters include:
Fat content analysis: Fat content determines the type of milk powder—for example:
Whole milk powder requires a higher fat proportion;
Skimmed milk powder requires reduced fat content.
Protein content analysis: Protein is a crucial nutritional indicator for milk powder, and levels must meet product standards.
Microbiological testing: Assessing microbial levels in the milk to ensure the raw material complies with food safety requirements.
Antibiotic residue testing: Preventing non-compliant raw milk from entering the production process.
Once the milk passes inspection, it is transferred to storage equipment to await further processing.
Once raw milk enters the production system, it must undergo filtration and purification.
The primary functions of this stage are to:
remove impurities;
increase the purity of the raw material; and
provide a stable raw material for subsequent processing.
The filtration process can remove:
solid particles;
foreign impurities; and
certain non-milk components.
Purified milk helps reduce the risk of contamination during production and enhances the quality consistency of the final milk powder.
Different types of milk powder products have varying requirements regarding fat, protein, and milk solids content.
Therefore, standardization adjustments are necessary during the production process.
Key standardization adjustments include:
Fat ratio;
Protein ratio;
Milk solids content;
Nutrient composition ratios.
For example:
Whole milk powder requires a relatively high fat content;
Skimmed milk powder requires a reduced fat ratio.
For infant formula, additional nutrients must also be added in accordance with the specific formula requirements.
The standardization process ensures consistent product quality across batches.
Homogenization is performed to improve the distribution of fat globules in milk.
In untreated milk, fat globules may clump together and separate into layers.
The homogenization process uses high pressure to break down larger fat globules into much smaller ones.
The benefits of homogenization include:
Increasing product uniformity;
Preventing fat separation;
Improving the reconstitution properties of milk powder.
Homogenization is particularly important for whole milk powder and infant formula.
Pasteurization is a critical food safety step in milk powder production.
This process involves heat-treating milk under controlled temperature and time conditions to reduce the level of harmful microorganisms.
The primary functions of pasteurization are:
Reducing bacterial load;
Enhancing product stability;
Preserving key nutrients in the milk.
The process requires precise control of:
Heating temperature;
Holding time;
Cooling rate.
Excessive temperatures may compromise nutritional content;
Insufficient treatment fails to meet food safety requirements.
Milk contains a large amount of water, whereas milk powder production requires converting liquid milk into a low-moisture powder.
Therefore, the moisture content of the milk must be reduced via evaporation prior to spray drying.
The purpose of evaporative concentration is to:
Reduce the load on the subsequent drying stage;
Lower energy consumption;
Increase production efficiency.
Following concentration, the milk becomes a more concentrated liquid, ready for the spray drying stage.
The concentration process requires control over:
Concentration ratio;
Temperature;
Product flow characteristics.
Spray drying is the core step in the milk powder production process.
It is responsible for transforming the concentrated liquid milk into a dry powder.
The spray drying process primarily involves:
Atomization
Concentrated milk passes through a nozzle to form a multitude of tiny droplets.
Hot-air drying
Upon entering the drying tower, the droplets come into contact with hot air.
The moisture within them evaporates rapidly.
Powder formation
The solid particles remaining after moisture removal form the milk powder.
During the spray drying process, the following must be controlled:
Droplet size;
Inlet air temperature;
Outlet air temperature;
Drying time.
These parameters directly affect:
Milk powder particle size;
Moisture content;
Solubility;
Product stability.
After spray drying, the milk powder remains at an elevated temperature and requires further cooling.
The primary objectives of cooling are to:
Lower the product temperature;
Prevent moisture absorption;
Enhance storage stability.
Simultaneously, the milk powder must be transported to the next stage of production.
During powder handling, the following must be avoided:
Powder clumping;
Secondary contamination;
Moisture absorption.
Packaging is the final stage of milk powder production.
Effective packaging protects the product by:
preventing moisture ingress;
extending shelf life;
maintaining product quality.
Common packaging formats include:
bags;
cans;
single-serve packs.
The packaging process typically requires control over:
filling accuracy;
sealing integrity;
environmental hygiene.
For high-standard products such as infant formula, the packaging environment must meet stricter hygiene standards.
Although whole milk powder, skim milk powder, and infant formula share common basic processing steps—such as milk reception, pre-treatment, standardization, concentration, and spray drying—their production requirements differ.
Whole milk powder production requires the retention of a high fat content; the process focuses heavily on fat stability, oxidation control, and storage conditions.
Skim milk powder production builds upon the whole milk powder process but necessitates an additional skimming step involving the use of a milk fat separator; the primary focus is reducing the milk fat content to 1.5% or lower.
Infant formula production involves more complex and stringent requirements, as it entails the precise proportioning and blending of nutrients such as vitamins and minerals.
Production methods are categorized into dry-mix and wet-mix processes based on the product formula. The key difference lies in when the nutrients are added: in the dry-mix process, nutrients are incorporated after the milk powder has been dried, resulting in minimal nutrient loss but demanding higher standards for the production environment and equipment; in the wet-mix process, nutrients are added during the standardization stage.
Milk powder production is a complex process comprising multiple operational steps.
From raw milk reception through filtration, standardization, pasteurization, concentration, and spray drying to final packaging, every stage impacts the quality of the end product.
Among these, spray drying, concentration, and process control are critical factors determining both product quality and production efficiency.
Understanding the complete milk powder production workflow enables companies to better plan their manufacturing processes and select solutions tailored to their specific needs.
