Have you ever wondered how milk is extracted? If you want to see the process, then allow us to show you how we make our milk products right here at Countryside Dairy.
Extraction
To extract milk, a vacuum is attached to the teats of the cow which then sucks the milk while stimulating the mammary gland.
The milk is then extracted from stainless pipes and transferred to large cold vats. For the next two days, the milk would be taken into tankers to a milk factory to begin the process of homogenization and pasteurization.
Pasteurization
This process is where we heat the milk to 72 degrees celsius for less than 15 seconds at a time. It will then be immediately cooled to ensure that the bacteria and other harmful microorganisms are destroyed. The process of pasteurization leaves the milk clean.
Homogenization
In the process of homogenization, the milk is put under pressure inside fine nozzles. This helps to disperse the fat globules in milk, which then prevents the cream from separating with the liquid and rising to the top. The process of homogenization keeps the taste of the milk consistent and less textured.
The technology that we have right here at Countryside Dairy allows us to produce a greater consistency for our milk products regardless of the standardised elements present in the milk like fat. Moreover, with our machines, the taste of the milk won’t be affected by the breed of the cow and even its environment.
In addition to this, our milk products also follow the international standards set by the Food Standards Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code.
Centrifugal separation
The centrifugal separation allows you to remove or reduce the cream on the milk, which consists of fat. Milk that is produced with less fat is called skim milk. The skim milk solids extracted from the product can be added back to the milk to improve its taste and consistency.
Ultrafiltration
The ultrafiltration process allows the milk to move through membranes in a controlled pressure environment. This process holds back the protein and fat globules found in unprocessed milk.
It also removes the huge amount of calcium complexes. With the membrane filter and the controlled pressure, the water and lactose in milk would be left behind leaving only the protein and calcium-rich product.
Reverse osmosis
The reverse osmosis process is highly similar to ultrafiltration. However, the membrane on the filter holds back most of the milk solids from passing and only filters out the water. The lactose will then remain on the product without affecting the flavour of the milk.
Spray drying
Spray drying is where we remove the water from the milk product to produce the powdered goods here in Countryside Dairy. The nutritional content of our product isn’t affected by this process.