As global consumers’ requirements for dairy product quality and nutrition continue to increase, dairy processing companies are facing unprecedented challenges. How to ensure product purity, taste and safety while maintaining high production capacity has become the core task of dairy companies to optimize production processes. In this context, disc stack centrifuge, as an efficient and precise solid-liquid separation equipment, is playing an increasingly critical role in the dairy industry.
What is a disc centrifuge?
A disc centrifuge is a high-speed, high-separation-efficiency device designed specifically for continuous solid-liquid or liquid-liquid-solid separation. Its core component is a separation stack composed of multiple conical discs, which uses centrifugal force to quickly separate components of different densities during high-speed rotation.
In dairy processing, disc centrifuges are widely used in the following scenarios:
Milk skimming (Separation)
Milk clarification (Clarification)
Whey separation and concentration (Whey separation)
Solid removal during yogurt or cheese production
Impurity (bacteria, sediment) separation
Five advantages of disc centrifuges
1. Efficient separation ability, improve purity and appearance quality
Traditional dairy separation methods such as static filtration and coarse filtration have low separation efficiency and high residue, which affects the purity and taste of the product. Disc centrifuges can separate micron-sized particles in a short time through high-speed rotation, making milk and whey clearer, fat distribution more even, and improving the visual and sensory quality of the product.
2. Maintaining dairy nutrients and reducing losses
Thanks to the short residence time and precise separation structure, disc centrifuges can effectively avoid the loss of nutrients such as protein and vitamins, especially suitable for infant formula or high-end dairy products with high requirements for nutrient retention.
3. Low-temperature separation to protect active ingredients
Some disc centrifuges can support low-temperature separation (such as below 35°C), which is suitable for dairy processes with strict cold chain requirements, and can maximize the retention of sensitive ingredients such as lactoferrin and immunoglobulin.
4. Continuous automatic operation, saving labor costs
Compared with traditional intermittent equipment, disc centrifuges can achieve continuous feeding, separation, and slag discharge, greatly improving production efficiency, reducing the frequency of manual intervention, and improving the level of production line automation.
5. Reduce impurities and microorganisms, and improve shelf life
Efficient separation can also remove bacteria, spores, sediments and other impurities in milk, improve the stability and shelf life of the finished product, and help brands stand out in the fiercely competitive dairy market.
Typical applications of disc centrifuges in the dairy industry
1. Milk clarification
During the collection and primary processing of milk, it often contains fine impurities such as hair, dust, blood, somatic cells, etc. These impurities not only affect the taste of dairy products, but also may bring risks of microbial contamination. Disc clarification centrifuges can remove these impurities in a very short time to ensure the cleanliness and safety of raw milk.
2. Milk skimming
Degreasing is the most critical step in dairy processing. Traditional mechanical separation methods are difficult to ensure the stability of fat content. Disc centrifuges can accurately control milk fat content and are suitable for different product requirements such as whole fat, low fat, and skimmed milk.
3. Whey Clarification
The whey remaining after cheese or yogurt production still contains a large amount of solid particles and protein components. Using a disc centrifuge to clarify or concentrate whey not only improves the quality of whey, but also helps to recover high-value nutrients for infant formula or sports nutrition products.
4. Pre-pasteurization treatment
Using a disc centrifuge before pasteurization can effectively remove heat-labile impurities and bacteria in milk, reduce the burden of heat treatment, improve sterilization efficiency, and improve product flavor.
Customer Case: Successful Practice of European Dairy Factory
A large European dairy company processes more than 100,000 tons of raw milk every year. In the past, it used traditional degreasing equipment, which had the following problems:
ncomplete separation, unstable product qualification rate
Impurity residue affects the solubility of milk powder
Frequent cleaning every day, high labor costs
After the introduction of disc centrifuge, it brought significant improvements:
Fat content error reduced from ±0.3% to ±0.05%
Per shift output increased by 20%
Daily maintenance time reduced by 50%
The final product has better stability and taste, and export sales increased by 15%
As the dairy market becomes increasingly high-end and professional, the disc centrifuge is not only a separation device, but also a core tool to improve product quality and market competitiveness. It helps companies achieve full process control from raw milk to end products, improve nutrient retention, extend shelf life, and improve sensory experience and safety.Whether it is a large dairy group or a fast-growing specialty dairy company, choosing a high-performance disc centrifuge is an important step towards high-quality production.
If you are looking for a reliable disc centrifuge solution, please contact us for customized advice and prototype testing services. Let technology empower dairy products and welcome the quality revolution in the industry together!
