Efficient, gentle and uniform preheating
GEA SaniX concentrate heater
The GEA SaniX concentrate heater ensures that concentrated milk feed entering the spray dryer has been heated to the right temperature.
Producing high quality spray dried dairy powders is a complex process that relies on the use of heat to remove water from milk and other liquid ingredients. Milk in particular is a sensitive product, so achieving exactly the right temperatures at different stages in the overall production process can be critical to producing a final product that looks and tastes great, has retained key nutritional value, and is easily reconstituted with water. And that means making sure that the concentrated milk feed entering the spray dryer has been preheated gently and uniformly to the desired temperature.
Here at GEA we really understand the importance of temperature in spray drying dairy products, and we uniquely supply the SaniX concentrate heater as standard with our GEA dairy spray dryer systems. Positioned between the evaporator that removes the bulk of the water from the milk and the spray dryer that generates the final powder, the SaniX efficiently, gently and uniformly heats the concentrated milk feed to exactly the right temperature so that your spray dryer can operate at optimum efficiency and capacity. Keeping the milk concentrate at a precisely controlled, even temperature means you can also expect a spray dried milk powder that better retains the integrity of key milk components, and exhibits greater dispersibility in water.
Importantly, our reengineered, hygienic SaniX technology complies with the relevant European Hygienic Engineering and Design Group (EHEDG) guidelines, and USDA / 3A certification is available upon request.
Achieving great powder quality and functionality
Transforming liquid milk into a spray dried powder requires removal of just about all the water. The overall quality, nutritional value and organoleptic properties of the final product will partly depend on the quality of the milk and other raw materials. Optimizing key process parameters, such as temperature, at each stage in manufacture will also play a role in determining the physical and functional characteristics, such as powder flow and particle size, dispersibility and stability. Even slight deviations in feed temperature and the uniformity of heating the milk concentrate prior to spray drying can have an impact on the final product’s characteristics and qualities.
To stay competitive as a manufacturer you want to be confident that your equipment, recipes and processes will support hygienic, efficient and reproducible production of milk powders with exactly the desired properties and functionality. So for many decades global producers of spray dried dairy and food powders have trusted GEA to configure, optimize and install the best solutions for diverse products.
Experts here at GEA have world-recognized experience and knowhow in all aspects of manufacturing spay dried dairy and food powder. We design, engineer, and supply components, equipment and complete lines spanning every stage in the process, from milk reception, standardization, filtration and heat treatment, though to evaporation and spray drying, and powder handling and packing.
Uniform, gentle heating prior to spray drying
Heating the concentrated milk feed to the right temperature before it enters the spray drying is a critical part of the overall production process. GEA supplies SaniX technology to its spray dryer systems as standard to ensures that every milli liter of milk concentrate entering the spray dryer is at exactly the desired temperature. This can be really important to ensure that key milk proteins and other constituents aren’t degraded, and to secure final product characteristics, such as dispersibility, which is a key consumer expectation for milk powders that are reconstituted by dissolving in water.
In contrast with other heating systems that use steam to heat the feed, the SaniX technology uses hot water as the heating medium, so it can be less costly to run, as well as gentler on the concentrated milk. This helps to ensure that key milk constituents aren’t damaged, and there is no impact on other chemical and physical features.
Thanks to the very high heat exchange coefficient, spiral design and use of two channels of heating medium, the milk feed is also heated uniformly as it travels through the heat exchanger unit. The combination of turbulence and high heat transfer coefficient ensures that the liquid feed is uniformly heated to exactly the right temperature as it passes through the SaniX unit. Take measurements at any point or cross section of the SaniX system and the milk temperature will be exactly the same, there are no areas of over- or underheating. And every milliliter of milk remains at this predefined, temperature as it is passed to the spray dryer.
When your feed is at the right temperature for spray drying, your spray dryer equipment can work at optimum capacity, and heating costs are reduced.
Regulatory compliant and compatible with 3rd party equipment
Our reengineered SaniX technology is fully regulatory compliant, and can be used for a wide range of milk and food powder products and recipes. We configure heat exchanger system to match each customer’s processes, products and spray dryer setup. And while we’d like every dairy powder producer to purchase GEA spray drying equipment, we can also configure the SaniX systems to work with third party spray driers.
Here are just some of the benefits of using SaniX to heat concentrated milk feed:
- Very high heat exchange coefficient ensures gentle, uniform heating of feed
- Use of water as heating medium can reduce heating costs and energy use
- Designed to meet EHEDG guidelines, USDA / 3A certification available upon request
- Efficient, uniform preheating process can improve the efficiency and reproducibility of the overall spray drying process
- Optimized, finely tuned temperature control results in a final powder that exhibits reproducible characteristics
- Precise, accurate preheating can help to ensure less risk of denaturation, and a final spray dried milk powder that displays better dispersibility
- Versatile technology can be used for diverse recipes and product types, and with GEA and third party spray dryer systems
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