GEA at the 2010 International Cheese Technology Exposition

Variety of cheese

GEA will exhibit at the 2010 International Cheese Technology Exposition (ICTE) which will take place in Madison WI from April 20 to April 22, 2010. The GEA Pavilion will host the following GEA companies: GEA Process Engineering Inc. (FKA Niro Inc.), GEA Filtration, GEA Avapac, GEA Tuchenhagen North America, GEA Niro Soavi, and GEA Westfalia Separator. The GEA Pavilion will be located on booth #316.

GEA Process Engineering

Thousands of GEA Process Engineering dairy plants operate daily all over the world. Our engineering ranges from single pieces of equipment to complete integrated plants, handling milk all the way from reception through pasteurization, microparticulation, homogenization, membrane filtration, evaporation, drying, cleaning (CIP) to final bag filling and conveying.

Cheese processing plant

Every GEA Process Engineering plant meets the strictest hygienic standards. All surfaces in contact with the product are made of stainless steel or other materials accepted and approved by the authorities (FDA). Bends are smooth, surfaces are polished, and hollow spaces and cavities are avoided in the plant design. Finally, the plant is supplied with built-in CIP facilities allowing producers to meet even the strictest hygiene requirements.

Whey

Whey ingredients

Whey is no longer just a problematic by-product of cheese production. It has high value as raw material for a variety of food ingredients - and its importance is still increasing. Every liter of milk used in cheese production gives an equal amount of whey. Whey composition and quality depend on a wide range of factors including breeding and feeding of the cows, time of year, and the type of bacteria and rennet used in the cheese production. The treatment of the whey from the cheese vats also has a significant influence on the final whey powder quality.

Whey Treatment

Many smaller cheese producers do not process the whey on site and, therefore, have problems with product deterioration. The high bacteria load and presence of active enzymes in the raw whey make it extremely important to separate fat and cheese particles, and to pasteurize and cool the whey immediately after removal from the cheese vats. Storage and transport has to be under cooled conditions.

GEA Process Engineering offers processes and systems for whey treatment with dedicated experts for all the important process steps: pasteurization, membrane filtration, evaporation and spray drying. GEA Process Engineering has developed parameters and plant designs to enable optimal economical production while reducing operational problems such as evaporator fouling and powder deposits in the dryer.

About the International Cheese Technology Exposition (ICTE)

The International Cheese Technology Exposition is an intensive combination of morning seminars, two full afternoons of uninterrupted exposition and evening social affairs. It is the world's largest gathering devoted solely to the multi-billion dollar market for cheese and related dairy products. The International Cheese Technology Exposition (ICTE) is organized by the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association and Wisconsin Center for Dairy Research. The ICTE will attract cheese manufacturers and suppliers from across the nation and around the world. More than 225 companies involved in the manufacture, processing and packaging of cheese and related dairy products are expected to attend the ICTE. In 2008 (the last ICTE) over 2,200 industry manufacturers and suppliers attended the ICTE. Cheese company attendees included: Cheese company executive level & plant managers, cheesemakers, and lab/technical personnel. Cheese companies in 37 US states attended the most recent ICTE, as well as cheese company representatives from 18 countries around the globe.

For further information and to register please access this URL http://www.cheeseexpo.org