In 1987 it was reported that some 100,000 tonnes were in EEC intervention storage, being surplus to commercial consumption requirements The latter fluctuate widely from year to year Milk quotas throughout Western Europe have been adjusted to orrect this surplus situation but the technology in spray drying has recently been so much improved that new outlets for dried skim milk are being progressively created. Whey powder also has found many new uses with manufacturers-in ice cream mixes for flavour enhancing, in bakery products as a shortening agent, in soup and sauce mixes, and in dessert topping products The new technology in spray drying has also given more choice to the lyer in that, for specific end uses, he can now specify low heat, medium heat, or high heat powder. This is made possible by the introduction of multi-stage dryers, as indicated in Chapter 4(Anhydro Spray Drying Systems) The process herein described is based on the author s contact with skim milk production in 1981, and whilst the spray dryers in this particular plant were not of the design described in Chapter 4 they were efficient and met the requirements of the processors, who were a company manufacturing a milk based value-added product, and the Dairy Marketing Board, who absorb any tonnage surplus to commercial sales. PRODUCT HANDLING It is customary for most drying plants to be located alongside the dairy in which the whole milk is processed, either for straight consumption, or con version to cream, butter and cheese. In this particular case the dairy is located some 500 metres from the drying plant, both companies being in separate ownership. The drying plant has a long term contract with the dairy to supply 70 million litres of skim milk(or 92 percent of the creamery's capacity)per annum. This is fed into the drying plant by a pipe line, and subsequently into minimums.8 percent solids and its specific gravity is 1035.ed buffer storage tanks, refrigerated to 5 C. The incoming skimmed milk has a The supply is subject to seasonal peaks and troughs, which precludes continuous operation throughout the year at 100 percent capacity. In some circumstances, this could be corrected by an intake of skim milk in tankers from other creameries but the location is isolated and not contiguous to other creameries to make this a viable operation. Shifts are therefore reduced from 3 to 2 in the late winter months, and the late autumn. In the normal way, had the company been dependant only on the sale of straight skim milk powder, this partial restriction of supplies would have been less than economic but the additional production of a value-added item balances out any loss which might be occasioned by an interruption of the P cessIn 1987 it was reported that some 100,000 tonnes were in EEC intervention storage, being surplus to commercial consumption requirements. The latter fluctuate widely from year to year. Milk quotas throughout Western Europe have been adjusted to correct this surplus situation but the technology in spray drying has recently been so much improved that new outlets for dried skim milk are being progressively created. Whey powder also has found many new uses with manufacturers - in ice cream mixes for flavour enhancing, in bakery products as a shortening agent, in soup and sauce mixes, and in dessert topping products. The new technology in spray drying has also given more choice to the buyer in that, for specific end uses, he can now specify low heat, medium heat, or high heat powder. This is made possible by the introduction of multi-stage dryers, as indicated in Chapter 4 (Anhydro Spray Drying Systems). The process herein described is based on the author’s contact with skim milk production in 1981, and whilst the spray dryers in this particular plant were not of the design described in Chapter 4 they were efficient and met the requirements of the processors, who were a company manufacturing a milk￾based value-added product, and the Dairy Marketing Board, who absorbed any tonnage surplus to commercial sales. PRODUCT HANDLING It is customary for most drying plants to be located alongside the dairy in which the whole milk is processed, either for straight consumption, or con￾version to cream, butter and cheese. In this particular case the dairy is located some 500 metres from the drying plant, both companies being in separate ownership. The drying plant has a long term contract with the dairy to supply 70 million litres of skim milk (or 92 percent of the creamery’s capacity) per annum. This is fed into the drying plant by a pipe line, and subsequently into buffer storage tanks, refrigerated to 5°C. The incoming skimmed milk has a minimum 8.8 percent solids and its specific gravity is 1.035. The supply is subject to seasonal peaks and troughs, which precludes continuous operation throughout the year at 100 percent capacity. In some circumstances, this could be corrected by an intake of skim milk in tankers from other creameries but the location is isolated and not contiguous to other creameries to make this a viable operation. Shifts are therefore reduced from 3 to 2 in the late winter months, and the late autumn. In the normal way, had the company been dependant only on the sale of straight skim milk powder, this partial restriction of supplies would have been less than economic but the additional production of a value-added item balances out any loss which might be occasioned by an interruption of the spray drying process