Highlights and application:
Microfiltration (MF) is a well proven technology offering a wide range of opportunities for modern dairy processing. The main advantages of the MF plant are as follows:
-Improved product quality and shelf life
-Reduced product loss
-Nitrate free cheese making
-State of the art membrane technology
-Integrated high temperature treatment plant for cream and retentate
-Flexible and modular design
Typical applications of MF Ceramic plants within the Dairy Industry are as follows:
-Bacteria and spore removal from skim milk, for Bacteria free cheese making
-Bacteria and spore removal from skim milk, for improved and premium quality ESL milk products
-Bacteria and spore removal from whey, for improved quality of whey
The MF plant consists of cross flow filtration loops in which the calibrated ceramic membranes are the key components. The MF plants are usually utilized in the following sectors within the Dairy industry:
-Cheese Manufacturing
-ESL/UHT Manufacturing
The main advantages of our MF plants are as follows:
-Our system ensure minimum 99.5% bacteria removal rate
-Our system uses a HTT section where retentate and cream are mixed and heat treated up to 120C and then combined with the main stream. Hence there will be no loss on our system.
Capacities:
Standard MF Plants with fixed capacities which are manufactured by this company are as follows:
-Cheese/ESL/UHT Plants:5000-15000 Lit/hr
Higher capacities are available based upon request and can be tailor made.
Components:
MF Plant usually includes the following components:
-Closed balance tank including level transmitter and CIP device
- Valve manifold including set of change over valves and automatic butterfly valves
- Feed pressure system including feed pump, flow transmitter and in line filter
-MF Ceramic modules
-Regulating valves and instruments for controlling of process flow
- Re circulation loops each including circulation pump, pressure and temperature transmitters, flow indictors and sampling device
-Retentate/Permeate system including modulating
valves, flow transmitter
-Equipment for flush water including shut off valves and adjustment valves
-Equipment for steam and cooling water including shut
-Set of change over valves
-Set of pipes and fittings
-Set of shut off valves for water balance tank
-Set of instruments such as temperature and pressure transmitters.
-Stainless steel control panel including PLC, HMI, power supply, solenoid valves, motor starters, MCC etc.
-All of the MF plants are tested in our factory before delivery
Options:
MF plant can include the following options:
-Automatic CIP dosing unit
-UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply)
-Air cooler for Control Panel
Operation:
The MF plant is designed fully automatic and from HMI all of the operation parameters and program sequences can be controlled and monitored. Also, all of the necessary process alarms are already incorporated into the program. The operation presence is only required during operation as surveillance The following process sequences are realized automatically:
-Production
-Circulation
-Emptying
-CIP
-Shut down/Stop plant
Utilities:
The required utilities for running the MF plant are as follows:
|
-Power supply: |
3x400 V AC, 50 Hz (Other voltage and frequencies are also available upon request) |
|
-CIP water supply: |
2-3 bar(g) @ 10-50 C |
|
-Cooling water supply: |
2-3 bar(g) @ 10-50 C |
|
-Ice water supply: |
2-3 bar(g)@1-2 C |
|
-Shaft seal water supply: |
2-3 bar(g) @ 10-50 C |
|
-Steam pressure: |
2-3 bar(g) |
|
-Air supply: |
6 bar (g) Instrument air, free from oil |
|
-Cleaning: |
Membrane cleaning detergent for manual or automatic dosing (Henkel or Diversey or Novadan) |
Brine has great importance in cheese production. High quality brine has a positive impact on many things from aroma of the cheese, appearance, and to the taste it leaves on palate. Low quality brine creates a negative impact from the appearance of the cheese to its taste. When the microorganisms (bacteria, spores, yeast, little particles, and dead cells) within the brine contact with the cheese they cause contamination in cheese, and deteriorate whole quality of the product.
Brine Microfiltration System
Comprehensive tests and studies and experiences of a range of industrial plants are the perfect technology that meets the quality requirements provided in the first table above and shows that they overcome the specified disadvantages.
Preference and Choosing Microfiltration System
Although the cheese brine is important regarding the cheese quality; it is seen clearly that it is “secondary product” in a cheese factory. In addition, when making system selection, it is important to seek a single system which facilitates use and maintenance and may operate for many hours between CIP. All of them reduces the number of staff within the brine room, and also minimizes the investment and other costs. Besides, it must be considered that the brine shall normally involve relatively high pending substance and particle content. Finally, discharging concentrate (waste) in small quantities have a huge environmental impact in terms of economy. On the other side, it has importance regarding minimizing the salt loss.
Microfiltration System for Cheese Brine
●Simple system
● Low investment
● Easy use
●Long using period between CIP
●Easy maintenance and cleaning
●Low concentrate volume (high concentration ratio): Salt loss in small quantities and low waste amount
●Feature of being able to operate with pending substances and particles
Tubular ceramic systems and spirally wound membrane systems have been tested comprehensively on various cheese pickles. Flow rate of spirally wound systems is 10% lower than the tubular ceramic systems. Although the life of spirally wound membranes are less than the ceramic membranes, their replacement costs are lower, there is less complex facility use and energy consumption is lower. The difference in membrane tolerance based on the chemicals and temperature is not important practically, because cleaning is relatively simple.
Comparison of two systems are presented in the table below. Both systems give perfect performance regarding the brine quality.
Spirally wound system may be operated for 20 hours continuously between CIP periods by pre-filtration (100 microns).
Pre-filtration need is higher in tubular system. With 2-stage (50 microns and 10 microns) pre-filtration, 10-hour operation may be performed between CIP.
When we add many items such as less pre-filtration need, less pre-filtration change request, few personnel need, spirally wound membrane filtration system stands out. Spirally wound membrane system is explicitly recommended, considering the pearls and pitfalls.
Brine is filtrated with a simple filter (bag, cartridge or similar) in order to remove cheese clusters and other particles which may prevent feeding of the spirally wound system.
Pre-filtrated brine flows to a microfiltration facility directly.
Cheese brine may contain undesired microorganisms such as gas-generating lactobacillus, pigment-generating micrococcus, pathogen bacteria, yeast and mould. Micro filtrated, distilled brine permeates to the membrane. Bacteria, spores, yeast, mould, etc. remain on concentrate side, and hold by membrane there.
Concentrate (waste) volume constitutes 0.5 – 1 % of feeding volume typically, and even may be adjusted at a low level such as %03.
Concentrate (retentate) may be collected as waste or drained. Whole process shall be at the same temperature with those used in brine system normally.
Treatment Difference between Contaminated Brine and Balanced Brine
There are many differences in treatment of brine processed in microfiltration system for a certain period and contaminated brine which has not been processed. These differences shall be balanced with the treatment of brine in microfiltration system. As cheese particles, pending particles are separated at the beginning, and even the salt within the brine content is separated and mixed with the dense concentrate (waste part), i.e. Retentate, along with these particles, chemical composition of the brine shall change. When all particles are separated and pure clear brine is reached, then microfiltration system does not have an impact on the chemical composition and the brine is balanced.
Similarly, flow rate in "contaminated" brine (Permeate litre per 1 hour, per membrane m2) shall be very low, and maximum operation period between cleaning (CIP) shall be lower until brine balance is ensured.
With TSS Brine Filtration, it is possible to separate the brine from microorganisms and transfer it to cheese as pure and clean, and reuse the brine. Microfiltration system is designed for brine and offered to the milk and dairy products sector. This system is being used by European dairy product manufacturers for long years. This system distils the brine by carrying out bacteria cleaning during whole process without changing the heat and pH value of the brine.
Microfiltration facility is designed for simple operation and easy installation in connection with existing brine systems.
- P.A.S proteins, soluble salts remain in the brine.
- Removes the dead cells from the brine.
- Salt consumption is minimized.
- Preservative substances are not added.
- It may operate for long time and minimizes the detergent consumption required for CIP.
- Destroys the undesired microorganisms at high levels.
- It provides that the brine may be reused.
- It has an easy interface and simple operating system.
