NIZO: Process Scan could boost infant formula production by 100,000 tons a year

NIZO says that its Process Scan enables dairy producers to increase production capacity by 10% on average while maintaining optimum product properties and without increasing fixed costs. It is, says the company, one of the best options available to dairy companies looking to step up production. Further rollout could, NIZO claims, boost total world production […]

NIZO says that its Process Scan enables dairy producers to increase production capacity by 10% on average while maintaining optimum product properties and without increasing fixed costs. It is, says the company, one of the best options available to dairy companies looking to step up production. Further rollout could, NIZO claims, boost total world production by 100,000 tons per year.

The world infant formula market has an estimated volume of at least one million tons, with a value of nearly $35 billion and growing, due to rising incomes especially in emerging markets.

NIZO  says that its Process Scan is based on a detailed understanding of drying behaviour, stickiness and protein denaturation kinetics combined with research into process-product interactions in evaporators and dryers. This enables powder producers to optimise throughput and energy use while retaining the very best product properties. With Process Scan, NIZO claims that manufacturers go from Best Proven Practice to Best Possible Practice. The results include extended run times, prevention of fouling, increased process efficiency and improved product quality.

NIZO’s Process Scan was used to resolve powder build-up in a plant run by United Dairymen of Arizona (UDA).

UDA’s CEO, Keith Murfield, said: “NIZO’s Process Scan reduced our cleaning times, enabling us to increase our output of high-quality powder at reduced costs.”

Dairy Innovation Australia Ltd – DIAL – works with local dairy processors to find solutions using NIZO’s predictive modelling tools. DIAL’s Process performance manager, Mike Weeks, said the company had “a major success early on” using these tools to help a dairy powder producer.

“We applied lessons from the heating profile from one powder plant that successfully made a very difficult spec product,” he said. “We converted that to another higher-capacity plant for the same company with some equipment modifications. This resulted in a significant capacity increase.”

NIZO says that Process Scan combines its profound knowledge about products and ingredient functionality, processing knowledge, experimental tools and industrially validated predictive models, resulting in an increase in process efficiency and an improvement in product quality without increasing fixed processing costs. The approach is hands-on and results are implemented on site.