PROCESSING STAGE 4: HOMOGENIZATION
Homogenization is not an obligatory operation in milk powder production, but if applied, it reduces free fat content, improving the final product quality. Free fat adversely affects milk powder solubility and increases susceptability to oxidative changes. By homogenization, free fat is transformed to fat globules: whey protein and casein micelles are ad¬sorbed, and a fat globule membrane is formed
(re¬generated): In this way the free fat concentration is markedly reduced. Homogenization is carried out in continuous homogenizers common in the dairy in¬dustry, in partly concentrated milk or in the final concentrate (after evaporation), at pressures of 5 and 15 MPa.