Electrical energy usage for processing of milk and milk products in a dairy plant - a case study

The electrical energy analysis was performed in processing and production of selected dairy products in a commercial dairy plant having installed capacity of 1.0 lakh lit./day. The purpose of the analysis was to determine the electrical energy usage in the processing line so that better efficacy in energy usage can be achieved. Engineering services in dairy plants are considered to be areas where simple plant optimization measures can lead to substantial and immediate savings. In general, dairy plant is considered to be an energy intensive industry where electrical energy is the major energy source utilized. In this experimental dairy plant, the electricity utilized for liquid milk processing, cream processing, ghee making, Cheddar cheese manufacture, Mozzarella cheese manufacture and paneer preparation was found to be 0.88, 8.93, 2.77, 2.17, 6.45 and 1.45 kWh/100 kg product respectively. For ice cream preparation, the electricity utilized was found to be 4.77 kWh per 100 lit.