Mechanization of Traditional Indian Dairy Products

India, the world’s largest milk producer, converts over half of its milk into traditional value-added dairy products to preserve it and support the economy. These goods, which fall into five categories (milk-based desserts, cultured/fermented, heat-desiccated, acid-coagulated, and fat-rich), are well-liked due to their high profitability, mass appeal, and export potential. Organized dairies have the chance to modernize and increase production in response to growing domestic and international demand. By substituting automated procedures for labor-intensive methods, recent mechanization in the dairy industry has increased efficiency. The essay examines mechanized developments, identifies places that require more innovation, and exhorts business owners to switch from ancient to modern methods.

Heat desiccated milk based products:

Khoa

The national dairy research institute (ndri), karnal, initially developed mechanical production techniques for Khoa production in the 1960s. The equipment included two open semi-jacketed steaming pans with mechanical scraper agitators (for final milk concentration) and a scraped surface heat exchanger (for pre-concentration of milk). Numerous machines are there to satisfy the requirements of small, medium, and large-scale operations. One of the most straightforward mechanized solutions are steam-jacketed kettles, which provide controlled heating via steam and motorized or manual scrapers to avoid burning and sticking. Continuous khoa producing machines automate heating, stirring, and scrapping for increased efficiency and uniformity, guaranteeing consistent quality and lowering the danger of contamination.

Vacuum evaporation devices improve production by enabling quick evaporation with little heat damage, maintaining nutrients and flavor. For large-scale manufacturing, scraped surface heat exchangers (SSHE) are specialized devices that scrape milk off hot surfaces using revolving blades. This ensures even heat distribution and inhibits scaling.

Multipurpose batch processing systems serve small and medium-sized businesses by providing programmable temperature and agitation controls and allowing the manufacturing of several products, such as khoa, rabri, and basundi. Motorized agitators and scrapers in automated mixing and scraping machines provide even heat exposure and uniform mixing, guaranteeing high-quality products.

Reverse osmosis is increasingly being adopted as a pre-processing step in mechanized khoa production, enhancing efficiency and ensuring consistent product quality. This process reduces the volume of milk to be heat-processed, thereby lowering energy consumption during the desiccation phase. It also preserves the natural flavor, color, and nutritional quality of the milk.

Heat and acid coagulated products

Paneer

Paneer manufacture has traditionally been an intensely manual operation, requiring a large labor force and using equipment that could be used for a number of other processes.

The conventional, labor-intensive technique of creating paneer has been transformed by technology, which has improved consistency, efficiency, and hygiene. Automated milk pasteurization, which involves heating the milk to a specified temperature to guarantee microbiological safety, is the first step in mechanized systems. After being pasteurized, milk is sent to an automated coagulation tank, where the necessary quantity of coagulant or acid is supplied, and the curd is created under carefully monitored circumstances. Mechanized methods cut and stir the curd, minimizing manual handling and guaranteeing consistency in size and texture. Automated whey-draining devices are subsequently used to separate the whey, guaranteeing total liquid removal while preserving the curd’s desirable consistency.

Channa

The traditional channa-making process is time-intensive, inconsistent, and resource-dependent, with issues like low yield, hygiene risks, and lack of standardization. To address small-scale production limitations, mechanized systems were developed, including the first continuous Channa-making machine at NDRI with a capacity of 40 kg per hour. Tubular heat exchangers and acid injectors are used for controlled coagulation of milk, while continuous channa-making machines integrate the heating, coagulation, whey separation, and chilling processes.

Double-wall basket centrifuges are employed for efficient whey removal, and hydraulic presses help form the channa into uniform blocks and Automated kneading and shaping machines standardize the texture and shape of the product. The kneading and shaping machines automatically mix and knead channa with sugar or other ingredients to create goods like rasogolla and sandesh, guaranteeing a consistent texture and consistency. The curd is subsequently shaped by machinery into molds or balls for additional processing. To ensure even absorption and a consistent texture for desserts like rasogolla, which involve immersing channa in sugar syrup, devices have been created to automate the cooking and sugar syrup immersion processes.

Cultured/fermented products

Dahi, Yogurt, Mishti dahi, Chakka, Shrikhand and Lassi are fermented milk products. However they differ considerably in terms of cultures used and their bouquet and flavour profiles.

Dahi and Yogurt

Dahi is an indigenous dairy product which is produced by lactic acid fermentation of milk. The most popular machine these days for packaging dahi is the Cup Thermo-fill and Sealing Machine. Cups are thermoformed from plastic film, products are filled, and lids are sealed in a continuous process. The machine features a stirrer, filling nozzles, filling pumps, and a feed hopper. Because the cup is thermoformed and the lid is punched directly on the machine, this equipment has the primary benefit of reducing the cost of cups by 50%.

Chakka & Shrikhand

Chakka is white pale yellow semi-solid product of good texture and uniform consistency obtained by draining off the whey from dahi/yoghurt obtained by lactic fermentation of milk. The mechanization of chakka and shrikhand production involves a series of automated processes that increase efficiency, improve product consistency, and ensure hygiene. In controlled fermentation tanks, milk is first pasteurized and cooled before being inoculated with starter culture. Thick chakka is produced by separating the curd from the whey using centrifugal separators or automatic whey removers once curdling is finished. Vacuum evaporators can be used to further concentrate. In order to achieve a smooth texture for shrikhand, chakka is combined with sugar and flavorings in automatic mixers.

Kheer

The mechanization of kheer utilizes a steam-jacketed kettle to make it using the steam process, despite the fact that cereal-based sweets are still manufactured in a very traditional manner despite their enormous popularity. Additionally, rice pudding has been produced via scraped surface heat exchange (SSHE). To extend the shelf life of kheer, a method for boiling and sterilizing it inside retort pouches has recently been devised at NDRI, Karnal. At 37°C, the kheer produced using this method had a shelf life of over four months.

Conclusion

Mechanization of traditional Indian dairy products solve the problems of labor-intensive procedures, variable quality, and shorter shelf life. Modern technologies, such as automated coagulation, whey separation, pressing, kneading, and shaping tools, etc. can help companies increase productivity and consistency without sacrificing the genuine flavor and texture of their goods. Additionally, mechanization increases profitability and decreases waste by enabling scalable manufacturing to satisfy growing domestic and worldwide demand.

References

Kumar, D., & Singh, A. K. (2010). Mechanization of traditional dairy products: Challenges and opportunities. Indian Journal of Dairy Science, 63(4), 304-311.

Talwar, G., & Brar, S. K. (2017). A review on mechanization of traditional dairy products. Indian Journal of Dairy Science, 70(1).

Sharma, R., & Yadav, H. R. (2015). Advances in dairy processing: Modern techniques in the production of traditional dairy products. Journal of Dairy Technology, 68(2), 142-150.