Digital Data for Improving Dairy Powder Stability

Videometer is an industrial partner in the IFD-funded project AMUSE – Advanced Methodologies to Understand Dairy Powder Stability and Promote Exports. Rapid non-invasive measurements with spectral imaging ought to help R&D and production with the development of prediction models of dairy powder quality.

Why studying milk and cheese powder is important?

The dairy industry plays a significant role in global food supply chains, and dairy products are consumed in various forms worldwide. The global market value of milk powder is estimated to be 30 billion USD (Milk Powder Market Size, Share, Report and Trends 2022-2027, n.d.). The product is full of nutrients and can be used for infant formulas, dry mixes, bakery products, and more. 

Even though powdered milk or cheese has a longer shelf life and can be transported more easily than fresh products, it is not easy to export. During long distances of transportation, the powder undergoes changes in its color, taste, and texture – due to constant changes in humidity and temperature, which can negatively impact its quality and stability.

Virtual milk powders for quality inspections

To address these challenges the AMUSE project aims to develop robust methods for analyzing milk and cheese powders and predicting their quality based on data such as relative humidity and temperature. The AMUSE research project has key stakeholders from academia, milk and cheese powder producers, and industry – the University of Copenhagen, the University of Lorraine, Arla Foods, Lactosan, and Videometer.

The Videometer technology, that will be used and further developed in this research, has been already tested for dairy analysis in terms of color, stability, syneresis, and texture, and more to come.

The Virtual Powders ought to predict the degradation levels of the product’s shelf-life by using available real-data, this will be achieved by using state-of-the-art technology, statistics, and machine learning. We hope that this innovative project will improve sustainability in the context of powdered milk and cheese transportation. This study has the potential to improve the dairy industry’s efficiency and sustainability, and ultimately contribute to global food security.

Learn more about the project from the Innovation Fund Denmark’s recent press release.

References

Milk Powder Market Size, Share, Report and Trends 2022-2027. (n.d.). IMARC Group.