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A large number of industrial processes use falling-film evaporation to concentrate liquid products. This technology allows for small temperature differences during operation and is often significantly more energy efficient than other techniques. When processing dairy products, a reduction in the solvent fraction results in an increased product viscosity and may thus result in non-Newtonian features. The interaction between a co-flowing vapor that is produced during the evaporation process and the falling film is an important feature of the process. Few studies have accurately studied the effect of co-flow on evaporative falling films at high solid contents. In this work, an experimental study of the influence of co-flowing vapor on the heat transfer coefficient for a dairy product is presented as a function of both the solid content (from 10 to 50%) and the mass flow rate of the feed. The experimental set-up, consisting of a unique industrial pilot-scale evaporator, provides the possibility of obtaining results useful for realistic industrial conditions. An analytical approach that enables the simultaneous evaluation of heat transfer in every experimental condition, e.g., for Newtonian or non-Newtonian fluids and with or without co-flowing vapors, is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Inactivation of 4 microorganisms in orange juice was investigated in a 100 L/h flowing pulsed electric field (PEF) system. Electric field levels of 30 kV/cm and 50 kV/cm were applied, and Leuconostoc mesenteroides, E. coli, and Listeria innocua were inactivated by as much as 5 log cycles at 30 kV/cm and 50 °C. Saccharomyces cerevisiae ascospores were the least susceptible to PEF at all treatment levels, and a maximum of 2.5 log reduction was achieved at 50 kV/cm and 50 °C. Both electric field levels were effective in inactivating microorganisms at temperatures below standard thermal treatment, however, the number of pulses applied was particularly important in inactivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The measurement and the investigation of the errors in a Couette rheometer have been a topic of considerable interest in many rheometric studies. In the present study, a more accurate predictor-corrector method based on CFD and the analytical solution of the problem is described. Comparing to the previous CFD-based method, in addition to considering the effect of the end parts, the presented correction factors also take into account the effect of the wide gap into a single coefficient. The correction factors are computed for both Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids in wide and narrow gap rheometry. Results showed that the shear rate distribution across the gap is highly non-linear in non-Newtonian wide gap rheometry. Moreover, for very shear thinning fluid i.e. n < 0.4 in narrow gap rheometry, there is a need to apply correction factor to the calculated fluid properties. Comparing the presented CFD approach and the current approach, the correction factor can be enhanced up to 16% depending on the fluid behavior and the gap distance.

The composition of raw milk is important for the stability of dairy products with a long shelf-life. Based on known historical changes in raw milk composition, the aim of this study was to get a better understanding of how possible future variations in milk composition may affect the stability of dairy products. The effects of elevated calcium, citrate, and urea levels on the stability of ultra-high temperature (UHT) treated milk stored for 52 weeks at 4, 20, 30, and 37 °C were investigated by a two-level full factorial designed study with fat separation, fat adhesion, sedimentation, color, pH, ethanol stability, and heat coagulation time as response variables. The results showed that elevated level of calcium lowered the pH, resulting in sedimentation and significantly decreased stability. Elevated level of citrate was associated with color, but the stability was not improved compared to the reference UHT milk. Elevated levels of urea or interaction terms had little effect on the stability of UHT milk. Storage conditions significantly affected the stability. In conclusion, to continue produce dairy products with high stability, the dairy industry should make sure the calcium content of raw milk is not too high and that storage of the final product is appropriate.

In the ultra-high temperature (UHT) process, milk is subject to temperatures above 135 °C for few seconds giving a product with a shelf-life of several months. The raw milk quality, UHT process and storage conditions affect the stability. In this study, the stability of UHT milk produced in an indirect system was evaluated by studying changes in taste, colour, fat separation, fat adhesion to the package, sedimentation, gelation, heat coagulation time, pH and ethanol stability during storage for up to one year at different temperatures. UHT milk stored at 4 and 20 °C had the longest shelf-life of 34-36 weeks, limited by sediment formation. Storage at 30 and 37 °C considerably decreased the shelf-life of UHT milk to 16-20 weeks, whereby changes in sediment formation, taste and colour were the limiting factors. Our results suggest that the changes observed at the different storage temperatures can be explained by different known mechanisms.

The composition and properties of raw milk are of great importance for the quality and shelf life of the final dairy product, especially in products with a long shelf life [e.g., ultra-high-temperature (UHT)-treated milk]. The objective of this study was to investigate the compositional variation in raw milk samples before processing at the dairy plant. Moreover, we wanted to investigate the effect of the UHT process on this variation (i.e., if the same variation could be observed in the corresponding UHT milk). The quality traits analyzed included detailed milk composition, counts of total and psychrotrophic bacteria, proteolytic activity, and color, as well as predictive measures of stability (i.e., ethanol stability and heat coagulating time). Samples of raw milk and the corresponding produced UHT milk were collected and analyzed on a monthly basis during 1 yr. Principal component analysis was used to identify months showing similarities and differences with respect to total variation. In contrast to previous studies, we observed only small variations between months and no clear effect of season for the raw milk. For the UHT milk, July and the winter months (December, January, and February) tended to separate from the other months. Quality traits showing significant variation were only to some extent identical in raw milk and UHT-processed milk. A better understanding of the natural variation in raw milk quality will provide opportunities to improve the shelf life of UHT-treated milk products., (Copyright © 2017 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)