It has been necessary to find a substitute for mother’s milk as the mother may lack milk, the baby might be allergic or a busy working day makes it impossible for the mother to be there on time. Therefore, infant formula or baby food with a composition as close as possible to that of mother’s milk has been developed and the most common type is powder form.

This is where and why GEA Niro comes in with their sophisticated range of spray dryers regarded as the best in the world. It is not only a question of the composition of the product (decided by the producer of the product), but also the powder appearance and bulk density. This is of vital importance as the amount of powder needed is stated in gram/feeding, and the powder is measured into the feeding bottle by a small measuring scoop. The powder must also be instantaneously dissolved in the water leaving no lumps to block the sucking.

The processing plant must be manufactured with full focus on hygienic design and a long production time between CIP cleaning.

GEA Niro is recognized as number one in the world for designing spray dryers and it is obvious that GEA Niro takes the lead in design, delivery and project management of turn-key infant formula/baby food powder factories. Not only do we have the technology for designing spray dryers for powdered food and dairy products - setting the standard of what is achievable for the world market - but we also have the necessary skilled project managers to take the lead on behalf of the other GEA Group companies participating as sub-suppliers in the turn-key delivery of an infant formula/baby food factory.

Typical processing equipment to design a turn-key factory is:

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  Raw material reception:
  Raw materials for the production of infant formula may be either in powder form or a liquid such as oil or milk. Learn more about the preparation of the pre-mix before further processing here.
  
  
• Evaporation:
  Depending on how the pre-mixing has been carried out and the composition of the pre-mix, it is possible to evaporate the concentrate to the final solids content before spray drying.
  
  
• Spray dryers:
  GEA Niro has designed many different types of spray dryers all with the aim of producing infant formula/baby food powder that meets the client’s specification.
  
  
  • Multi-Stage Dryer MSD™
    A spray dryer with great flexibility and a good drying economy. Equipped with an integrated back mix fluid bed and a VIBRO-FLUIDIZER™. Used for agglomerated products. 
    
    
  • COMPACT DRYER™
    A Conventional type spray dryer with ring-formed integrated fluid bed and a VIBRO-FLUIDIZER™ for after drying. Used for agglomerated and regular non-agglomerated products.
    
    
  • TALL FORM DRYER™
    A spray dryer originally designed for baby food. Equipped with a special air exhaust system to minimize fines carry-over to the cyclones, and a VIBRO-FLUIDIZER™ for after drying and cooling. Used for agglomerated and regular non-agglomerated products. 
    
    
• Powder handling and storage of powder
  When the powder leaves the spray dryer, it is, by means of air, conveyed to powder silos before final packing in cans.

Utility piping, Electrical installation, Erection and Commissioning
This is a fundamental part of any turn-key supply from GEA Niro as well as our skilled Project Management. Last but not least, our skilled Product and Process Specialists will participate during the final fine-tuning of the plant and training of the plant operators.