Large
amounts of energy are expended
in the process of removing water
and so plants developed over the
years have become increasingly
more energy efficient.
Evaporators are much more energy
efficient than driers, using
only a fraction of a kilogram of
steam (or the energy equivalent)
per kilogram of water removed.
Driers on the other hand use
several
kilograms of steam (or steam
equivalent) per kilogram of
water evaporated. Spray drying
provides a means of rapidly and
gently removing the bulk of the
remaining water but,
ideally, spray driers have short
residence times.
Milk
powders are immensely more
stable than fresh milk but
protection from moisture, oxygen,
light and heat is needed in
order to maintain their quality
and shelf life. Milk Powders
readily take up moisture from
the air, leading to a rapid loss
of quality and caking or
lumping. The fat in WMPs can
react with oxygen in the air to
give off-flavors, especially at
higher storage temperatures (>
30 C) typical of the tropics.