Separator (milk)

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Manual separator in a Swedish museum Separator, Klosters bruksmuseum.jpg
Manual separator in a Swedish museum

A separator is a centrifugal device that separates milk into cream and skimmed milk. [1] [2] Separation was commonly performed on farms in the past. Most farmers milked a few cows, usually by hand, and separated milk. Some of the skimmed milk was consumed while the rest was used to feed calves and pigs. Enough cream was saved to make butter, and the excess was sold.

Contents

Today, milk is separated in industrial dairies. Sufficient cream is returned to the skimmed milk before sale.

History

A man operating a manual separator in 1925 ManUsingCreamSeparator.jpg
A man operating a manual separator in 1925

Before the advent of centrifugal separators, separation was performed by letting milk sit in a container until the cream floated to the top and could be skimmed off by hand. A variant container-separator had a nozzle at the bottom which was opened to allow the milk to drain off. A window in the side, near the nozzle at the bottom, allowed the operator to observe when the milk was drained.

The centrifugal separator was first manufactured by Gustaf de Laval, making it possible to separate cream from milk faster and more easily, without having to let the milk sit for a time, and risk it turning sour. Possibly because Gustaf de Laval manufactured the first cream separators, [3] [4] many people credit the invention to de Laval. However, many patents appear before his, all of them labelled as 'improvements'. One of the first specifically for cream separation was patented by W. C. L. Lefeldt and C. G. O. Lentsch. [5]

The original centrifugal separators were hand-cranked, as illustrated.

Mechanism

Manual rotation of the separator handle turns a worm gear mechanism which causes the separator bowl to spin.

When the separator is spun, the heavier milk is pulled outward against its walls and the cream, which is lighter, collects in the middle. The cream and milk then flow out separate spouts. After separation, the cream and skimmed milk are mixed together in a certain ratio until the favoured fat content has been set. The ratio is dependent upon the product which is to be produced (low-fat milk, full-fat milk or cream). Some floor model separators were built with a swinging platform attached to the stand. The bucket for collecting the cream was put on the platform, and a much larger bucket was set on the floor to collect the milk. Some floor model separators had two swinging platforms. Smaller versions of separators were called table-top models, for small dairies with only a few cows or goats.

Gustaf de Laval's construction made it possible to start the largest separator factory in the world, Alfa Laval AB. [6] The milk separator represented a significant industrial breakthrough in Sweden. Within the first decade of the 1900s, there were over twenty separator manufacturers in Stockholm. Separators in modified form are also used on ships to purify oil, which may have been their original use, because in its original form de Laval proposed the separator for use in his steam turbine. De Laval's turbine used mechanically lubricated journal bearings which were not insulated from the inside of the turbine. When the steam condensed into water it contaminated the oil. To purify the oil a centrifugal separator was used, which was later adapted to the dairy industry.

The original design had a manual bowl that required manual cleaning. Most modern separators use a self-ejecting centrifuge bowl that can automatically discharge any sedimentary solids that may be present, thus allowing clean-in-place (CIP).

A distinction is made between warm milk skimming and cold milk skimming: [7]

Related Research Articles

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Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this process is accelerated by using centrifuges called "separators". In many countries, it is sold in several grades depending on the total butterfat content. It can be dried to a powder for shipment to distant markets, and contains high levels of saturated fat.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Butter</span> Dairy product

Butter is a dairy product made from the fat and protein components of churned cream. It is a semi-solid emulsion at room temperature, consisting of approximately 80% butterfat. It is used at room temperature as a spread, melted as a condiment, and used as a fat in baking, sauce-making, pan frying, and other cooking procedures.

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Clotted cream is a thick cream made by heating full-cream cow's milk using steam or a water bath and then leaving it in shallow pans to cool slowly. During this time, the cream content rises to the surface and forms "clots" or "clouts", hence the name. Clotted cream is an essential ingredient for cream tea.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gustaf de Laval</span> Swedish engineer and inventor (1845–1913)

Karl Gustaf Patrik de Laval was a Swedish engineer and inventor who made important contributions to the design of steam turbines and centrifugal separation machinery for dairy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alfa Laval</span> Swedish manufacturing company

Alfa Laval AB is a Swedish company, founded in 1883 by Gustaf de Laval and Oscar Lamm. The company started by providing centrifuges to dairies to be used to separate cream from milk. It now deals in the production of specialised products for heavy industry. The products are used to heat, cool, separate and transport such products as oil, water, chemicals, beverages, foodstuffs, starch and pharmaceuticals.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Churning (butter)</span> Process of making butter

Churning is the process of shaking up cream or whole milk to make butter, usually using a device called butter churn. In Europe from the Middle Ages until the Industrial Revolution, a churn was usually as simple as a barrel with a plunger in it, moved by hand. These have mostly been replaced by mechanical churns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Creamery</span> Facility which produces products from milk and cream

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">DeLaval</span>

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The fat content of milk is the proportion of milk, by weight, made up by butterfat. The fat content, particularly of cow's milk, is modified to make a variety of products. The fat content of milk is usually stated on the container, and the color of the label or milk bottle top varied to enable quick recognition.

The Gerber method is a primary and historic chemical test to determine the fat content of substances, most commonly milk and cream. The Gerber method is the primary testing method in Europe and much of the world. The fairly similar Babcock test is used primarily in the United States, although the Gerber method also enjoys significant use in the U.S. as well.

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References

  1. Pathshala, e-PG (2023-10-14). "Cream Separation in Dairy Industry" (PDF). e-Pg Pathshala. Retrieved 2023-10-14.
  2. "DT-2: Lesson 5. CONSTRUCTION OF CREAM SEPARATORS". ecoursesonline.iasri.res.in. Retrieved 2023-10-14.
  3. "Article on history of Gustaf de Laval/Cream Separators". Archived from the original on 2017-07-25. Retrieved 2023-08-16.
  4. "Biography – ERIH". www.erih.net. Retrieved 2023-10-14.
  5. Wohlert, Claus (1993). "Bnet article on Alpha Laval". International Directory of Company Histories.
  6. "History of Alfa Laval". www.alfalaval.com. Retrieved 2023-10-14.
  7. "Skimming milk - use of separators in dairies" . Retrieved 2018-04-22.
  8. Ranch Depot, Farm and (2023-10-14). "Cream Separator". Farm Farm and Ranch Depot. Retrieved 2023-10-14.

Bibliography

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Cream separators at Wikimedia Commons