Welcome to our Milk Innovation Center
Welcome to the Milk Innovation Center, where the scientific method and conscious ingenuity converge to push the boundaries of food potential. Unlike others, we work here, investing heavily in people, technology, and facilities to advance the state of nutrition. Join us on this innovation journey and discover milk's endless possibilities.
Innovation accelerating impact
Pushing the boundaries of food potential
Discovering nutrition beyond milk
What innovation means to Idaho Milk Products
“At the Milk Innovation Center, we are passionate about nurturing groundbreaking ideas in dairy innovation. Collaborating with our customers, we strive to discover exciting new opportunities in food, enhancing value for the end-consumer.“ - Venkateswarlu Sunkesula, Ph. D.
V.P. of Research and Development at Idaho Milk Products
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Innovation beyond necessity
At the Milk Innovation Center, we invest in scientific expertise, cutting-edge technology, and state-of-the-art facilities to solve meaningful problems in food science. Through a technically informed and precise approach, we work closely with our customers to develop sustainable solutions that shape the future of food.
Real experts delivering real solutions
Our food scientists deliver authentic solutions that meet the high standards of top food manufacturers, stakeholders, and end-consumers, avoiding sensational trends and gimmicks.
Sustainable innovation
As top innovators, we aim to enhance the world's access to nutrition through authentic adherence to a science-based approach. In doing so, we fulfill our responsibility to our customers, our community, and our planet.
Working at the frontline of bold ideas
At the Milk Innovation Center, we harness scientific expertise and cutting-edge technology to develop groundbreaking solutions in food science—partner with us to unlock new possibilities and achieve success in the ever-evolving food industry.
Enrober
An enrober is a piece of industrial equipment used to coat a product with a liquid substance, typically chocolate but also other coatings like sugar or glaze. It's commonly used in the confectionery industry for covering items such as nuts, candies, and biscuits, but we use it on protein bars.
- Product Feeding: The product to be coated (e.g., nuts, candies, protein bars) is fed into the enrober.
- Coating Application: The product is conveyed through a tank of liquid coating, where it becomes fully covered.
- Excess Removal: Excess coating is removed through vibration or air blowing.
- Tempering: In the case of chocolate, the coated product often passes through a tempering section to achieve the correct crystal structure for a desirable snap.
- Cooling: The coated product is cooled to solidify the coating.
Filling Hood
An RTD filling hood is a specialized piece of equipment used to maintain a sterile environment for aseptic filling of liquid products. It creates a controlled atmosphere to prevent contamination during the filling process.
- Sterile Environment: The filling hood creates a sterile environment through the use of HEPA filters and laminar airflow.
- Product Filling: The product, typically a liquid, is aseptically filled into containers (vials, ampoules, or bottles) within the hood.
- Operator Protection: The hood also protects the operator from exposure to potentially hazardous materials.
- Contamination Prevention: The laminar airflow pushes contaminants away from the filling area, maintaining sterility.
HPLC
HPLC (High-Performance Liquid Chromatography) is an analytical technique used to separate, identify, and quantify components in a mixture. It's particularly useful for analyzing complex samples.
- Injection: A small volume of the sample is injected into the HPLC system.
- Separation: The sample components are separated as they pass through a column filled with stationary phase material. Different components interact differently with the stationary phase, causing them to separate.
- Detection: The separated components are detected as they exit the column, often using a UV or mass spectrometer.
- Data Analysis: The detector's signal is converted into a chromatogram, which provides information about the components in the sample.
High Shearing Mixer
A high shearing mixer is a piece of equipment used to create homogenous mixtures by subjecting liquids or solids and liquids to intense shear forces. It's designed to break down particles, disperse solids, and create stable emulsions.
- Ingredient Input: The materials to be mixed are introduced into the mixer.
- Shear Generation: The mixer uses high-speed rotating parts (rotor and stator) to create intense shear forces.
- Particle Reduction: These forces break down particles and disperse solids into the liquid phase.
- Emulsification: For liquid-liquid mixtures, the high shear creates stable emulsions.
- Product Output: The processed mixture is discharged from the mixer.
Ice Cream Freezer
A hard ice cream freezer, also known as a batch freezer, is a commercial kitchen equipment used to transform liquid ice cream mix into a solid, scoopable product. It involves a rapid freezing process while incorporating air into the mixture to create the desired texture.
- Ingredient Preparation: The ice cream mix, consisting of milk, cream, sugar, flavorings, and other ingredients, is prepared and chilled.
- Freezing Process: The mix is transferred to the freezer's cylinder, where it undergoes rapid freezing through a combination of cold refrigerant and agitation.
- Air Incorporation: As the ice cream freezes, air is incorporated into the mixture, creating a smooth and creamy texture.
- Overrun: The increase in volume due to air incorporation is known as overrun.
- Output: The finished hard ice cream is extruded from the freezer in a continuous or batch form.
Bar Extruder
A protein bar extruder is a specialized piece of food processing equipment designed to produce protein bars in a continuous and efficient manner. It transforms a mixture of ingredients into a uniform bar shape through a combination of heating, mixing, and extrusion.
- Ingredient Preparation: The necessary ingredients, including protein powder, sweeteners, fats, and other components, are mixed and prepared.
- Feeding: The prepared mixture is fed into the extruder's hopper.
- Heating: The mixture is heated to a specific temperature to melt fats and create a cohesive mass.
- Mixing: The ingredients are thoroughly mixed to ensure a uniform composition.
- Extrusion: The mixture is forced through a die to shape the protein bar into the desired form.
- Cooling: The extruded bars are cooled to solidify the product.
- Cutting: The cooled bars are cut to the desired length.
Incubator
A shelf-life incubator is a controlled environment chamber used to accelerate the aging process of products to predict their long-term stability. By exposing products to elevated temperatures and humidity, researchers can simulate real-world storage conditions and determine a product's shelf life.
- Sample Preparation: Products are prepared according to specific protocols and placed within the incubator.
- Environment Control: The incubator maintains precise temperature and humidity levels to mimic accelerated storage conditions.
- Time-based Testing: Products are monitored at regular intervals for changes in quality, appearance, texture, flavor, or other relevant parameters.
- Data Analysis: The collected data is analyzed to determine the product's shelf life under normal storage conditions.
LUMiSizer
A LUMiSizer is a sophisticated analytical instrument used to characterize the stability and particle size distribution of suspensions and emulsions. It combines centrifugation with advanced optical measurement techniques to provide comprehensive information about product stability and particle behavior.
- Sample Preparation: The sample is prepared according to specific protocols and loaded into the LUMiSizer's sample cell.
- Centrifugation: The sample is subjected to centrifugal force, causing particles or droplets to separate based on their size and density.
- Optical Measurement: The LUMiSizer continuously measures the light transmitted through the sample, providing data on particle velocity, sedimentation, creaming, and particle size distribution.
- Data Analysis: The collected data is analyzed using specialized software to determine stability parameters, particle size, and other relevant information.
Coating Pan
A coating pan is a piece of equipment used to apply a uniform layer of chocolate or other coatings to various products, such as nuts, candies, and fruits. It's designed to create a smooth, even finish while ensuring proper coverage.
- Product Loading: The product to be coated (e.g., nuts, candies) is loaded into the coating pan.
- Chocolate Application: Liquid chocolate is introduced into the pan, gradually coating the product as the pan rotates.
- Coating Process: The pan continuously rotates, ensuring even distribution of chocolate over the product's surface.
- Drying: In some cases, the coated product may undergo a drying process to set the chocolate.
- Cooling: To prevent melting, the coated product is often cooled before packaging.
Homogenizer
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A milk homogenizer is a specialized piece of equipment designed to break down milk fat globules into smaller, uniform particles. This process, called homogenization, prevents the separation of milk components, such as cream rising to the top.
Milk is pumped through a homogenizer under extremely high pressure. This force causes the milk to pass through a narrow orifice or valve at high velocity. The intense pressure and turbulence break down the fat globules into microscopic particles. These smaller fat globules remain evenly dispersed throughout the milk, preventing cream separation.
UF Unit
A milk UF (Ultrafiltration) unit is a piece of industrial equipment used to separate components within milk based on molecular size. It's a membrane filtration process that concentrates milk proteins while retaining essential minerals and lactose.
- Milk Feed: Raw milk is pumped into the UF system.
- Membrane Filtration: The milk is forced through a series of membranes with specific pore sizes. Proteins, minerals, and lactose pass through the membrane, while larger components like fat globules and bacteria are retained.
- Permeate and Retentate: The liquid that passes through the membrane is called permeate, which is primarily water with some lactose and minerals. The concentrated liquid retained by the membrane is called retentate, rich in proteins.
- Concentration: The retentate can be further concentrated to produce products like milk protein concentrate (MPC).
V-Blender
A V-Blender is a piece of industrial equipment primarily used for blending dry powders and granular materials. Its distinctive V-shaped design and rotating motion efficiently mix components to achieve a homogeneous mixture.
- Loading: The dry materials to be blended are loaded into the V-shaped container.
- Mixing: The container rotates on a fixed axis, causing the materials to cascade and tumble within the V-shaped chamber. This constant movement ensures thorough mixing.
- Discharge: Once the desired level of homogeneity is achieved, the blended product is discharged through an outlet at the bottom of the blender.
Spray Dryer
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A Spray Dryer is a specialized piece of industrial equipment designed to convert liquid milk protein concentrate into a dry powder form. This process is crucial for preserving the protein's nutritional value and facilitating its incorporation into various food products.
The typical process involves several stages:
- Feed Preparation: Liquid milk protein concentrate is prepared and preheated to optimize the drying process.
- Atomization: The liquid is atomized into fine droplets using high-pressure nozzles or centrifugal force.
- Drying: The atomized droplets are exposed to hot air, causing rapid evaporation of water content.
- Powder Collection: The dried milk protein powder is collected in a cyclone separator or other collection systems.
- Cooling: The powder is cooled to prevent clumping and improve flowability.
Rheometer
A rheometer is a laboratory instrument used to measure the flow properties of materials, particularly fluids. It characterizes how a material responds to applied forces, providing insights into its viscosity, elasticity, and other rheological properties.
- Sample Preparation: The material is prepared according to specific protocols, ensuring it's suitable for the chosen test geometry.
- Geometry Selection: A rheometer uses various geometries, such as cone-and-plate, parallel plates, or cylindrical geometries, to apply different types of stress or strain to the sample.
- Test Execution: The rheometer applies a controlled force or deformation to the sample and measures the resulting response.
- Data Analysis: The collected data is analyzed to determine rheological properties like viscosity, shear stress, shear rate, elasticity, and complex modulus.
Texture Analyzer
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A texture analyzer is a laboratory instrument used to quantify the physical properties of materials. It measures the force required to deform a sample in a specific way. This information is crucial for understanding product quality, consistency, and consumer acceptance.
- Sample Preparation: The sample is prepared according to specific protocols.
- Probe Selection: A suitable probe or fixture is attached to the texture analyzer based on the desired test.
- Test Execution: The probe is brought into contact with the sample, and a controlled force is applied. The instrument records the force required to achieve a specific deformation.
- Data Analysis: The collected data is analyzed to determine various textural properties such as hardness, adhesiveness, cohesiveness, gumminess, chewiness, springiness, and factorability.
Microthermics
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An HTST/UHT machine is a piece of industrial equipment used to process liquid foods, primarily dairy products, to extend their shelf life. HTST stands for High-Temperature Short-Time, while UHT stands for Ultra-High Temperature. Both processes involve heating the liquid to a specific temperature for a predetermined period to kill harmful microorganisms.
- HTST: Liquid is heated to a temperature between 72°C and 75°C (162°F to 167°F) and held for at least 15 seconds. This process effectively eliminates most bacteria.
- UHT: The liquid is heated to a much higher temperature, typically around 135°C (275°F), for a few seconds. This intense heat kills virtually all microorganisms, allowing for a longer shelf life without refrigeration.
After heating, the liquid is rapidly cooled to preserve its quality.
Likwifer
A protein powder hydration machine is a piece of equipment designed to mix protein powder with liquid to create a homogenous mixture suitable for various applications.
The basic function of a protein powder hydration machine involves:
- Ingredient Input: Protein powder and liquid ingredients are fed into the machine.
- Mixing: The machine employs mixing mechanisms (like agitators, blenders, or homogenizers) to thoroughly combine the powder and liquid.
- Homogenization: For some applications, the mixture may undergo further processing to ensure a consistent and fine texture.
- Output: The hydrated protein mixture is then dispensed or transferred to subsequent processing stages.
Retort Sterilizer
A retort sterilizer is a piece of industrial equipment used to sterilize food products within sealed containers.
- Sealed Containers: Food products are sealed in airtight containers, such as cans or pouches.
- High Temperature and Pressure: These containers are placed in the retort sterilizer. The equipment then raises the temperature and pressure to a specific level.
- Sterilization: The high temperature and pressure kill microorganisms, including bacteria, that can cause food spoilage.
- Cooling: Once the sterilization process is complete, the retort is slowly cooled down to preserve the food's quality.
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