Justification of sedimentation stability of milk whey after electric spark processing

Abstract

Introduction. The article focuses on the primary processing of milk whey, in particular, the prospect of its processing using electric spark discharges. Reasonability of the electric discharge application in whey processing technology is confirmed by experimental research as well as mathematical and statistical analysis. Materials and methods. Mathematical modeling established a rational mode of electrohydraulic treatment of whey which is accompanied by a maximum dispersion of particles of precipitated casein dust. Results and discussion. It has been confirmed that the average hydrodynamic diameter of milk whey particles decreased from 1697,5 ± 82,38 nanometer to 221,34 ± 0,3 nanometer after electric discharge processing with the peak voltage of 45 kV and discharge quantity of 25. The polydispersity index at that plummeted from 1,0 to 0,35...0,40, which characterizes the system as the one close to monodisperse state. We have noticed that at the voltage of 30 and 35 kV and the discharge number of 5... 15 the particle dispersion was insubstantial. The average particle size decreased only by 22...30%. It was also concluded that at the voltage growth as well as increase in a discharge number the peak values on the distribution curves shifted to the particle size of 500... 1000 nm, while the average hydrodynamic diameter decreased. The best results during the electrohydraulic milk whey processing were achieved at the voltage of 45 kV and the discharge number amounting to 25. The sediment volume in the processed whey decreased from 0,9... 1,1 to 0,1...0,2 cm3 at the voltage of 45 kV and the discharge number of 25. Conclusions. It is proposed a technological scheme of primary milk whey processing using electro-hydraulic method.