Cream for sale to consumers is produced with different fat contents. Cream of lower fat content, 10 – 18%, is often referred to as coffee cream; it is increasingly used for desserts and in cooking. Cream with a higher fat content, typically 35 – 40 %, is usually considerably thicker. It can be whipped into a thick froth and is therefore referred to as “whipping cream”.

Untreated milk from the storage tanks is heated regeneratively in the heat exchanger to separation temperature, 62–64^oC. The milk then flows to the separator for separation to skimmilk and cream with the required fat content, usually 35 – 40%. The low fat cream is mixed with skimmilk to obtain the required fat content. The cream is homogenised.

The mixing of cream and skimmilk is done with a metering pump which injects the skimmilk into the cream line. The cream temperature is then adjusted to homogenising temperature. After homogenisation the cream is returned to the heat exchanger, where it is pasteurised at 85 – 90°C for 15 – 20 seconds before being cooled to about 5°C and packed. Cream with a low fat content has a relatively low viscosity and is not of the consistency normally wanted by customers. It is necessary to select the correct temperature and pressure for homogenisation to give the cream the correct viscosity. The viscosity of cream increases with increasing homogenising pressure and is reduced by a temperature increase. The cream viscosity can be obtained by keeping the homogenising temperature constant at about 57°C and homogenising pressure at 200 bar. 

• * Plate pasteurizer
• * Deodorizer
• * Centrifuge separator
• * Homogenizer
• * Tanks
• * Storage tank
• * Processing tank
•      Aging tank
•      Aseptic tank system
• * Aseptic bag filler