How to produce milk powder
...ble, as it reduces the viscosity of the chocolate paste. It is therefore possible to use less cocoa-butter, which is an expensive product. The product is produced by pre-crystallizing the lactose in the whole milk concentrate or skim milk concentrate which is then mixed with cream in the correct proportion. The spray dryer selected for this powder is the Multi-Stage Dryer, see Fig. 147. This plant offers many advantages, as it is designed for products with high fat content being difficult to dry. Another advantage of this dryer is the integrated fluid bed, in which the powder is fluidized at a high moisture content. Due to the drying the lactose has become supersaturated again, see Crystallization of Whey Concentrate, page 251, and the crystallization can proceed further resulting in a high free-fat content, as the lactose crystals "grow" and destroy the protein membrane protecting the fat globules. Addition of up to 20% lactose, based on solids, to th...