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.
Tall form dryer from GEA Niro
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:
- 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.