Although powdered milk in coffee isn’t everyone’s first choice, there are some situations when it’s the only practical solution. For automatic coffee machines in shops and workplaces, powdered milk is hygenic, long lasting and doesn’t require refrigeration or the constant cleaning of the machine, making it a sensible choice when refilling needs to be kept to a minimum.
What is powdered milk?
Powdered milk starts life as standard milk, either full fat or skimmed, which goes through an evaopration process to remove the liquid and leave a dry residue. A lot of powdered milk is using in catering or baby products, and the latter often has extra vitamins and minerals added prior to sale.
How’s it made?
On arrival at the processing plant from the farm, the milk goes through a quality control process before passing into an evaporator which has been specially adapted to allow the liquid to boil at a lower temperature. This means that the liquid is extracted without any damage to the milk, which could otherwise scorch. It’s also pasturised at this stage. Once around half the liquid’s gone, the remaining fluid goes through a separator, to split it out into cream (which is removed for later use) and skimmed milk. The skimmed milk is standardised to make sure the product always has a consistant nutritional profile, then it goes to a drying tower where it’s swirled rapidly through the air until the remaining liquid evaporates.
Finally, the dry powder is packaged appropriately, and some is sent out for use in coffee machines, or to be stirred directly into cups of coffee.
There are various grades and brands of powdered milk available, some of which are formulated specifically for machine use. If you’re looking for powdered milk to restock a machine, please visit our coffee ingredients page to browse our range.