The influence of powder composition, physical properties, and design configurations on the suitability of process analytical technologies for the in-line analysis of moisture in dairy powders

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dc.check.chapterOfThesisAll sections to be redacted. Chapter 1 (Literature review- Process analytical technologies (PAT’s) for the in-line analysis of the composition and physical properties of dairy powders), Chapter 2 (Considerations in adopting an in-line near infrared moisture analyser into a spray dryer for the production of dairy powders), Chapter 3 (The influence of dairy powder composition and physical properties on the suitability of a near infrared analyser for predicting moisture content), Chapter 4 (General discussion and conclusions).en
dc.check.date9999-12-31
dc.contributor.advisorO'Mahony, Seamus Anthony
dc.contributor.advisorO'Callaghan, Tom F.
dc.contributor.advisorexternalBehan, Ger
dc.contributor.authorMurphy, Áine L.en
dc.contributor.funderKerry Group
dc.date.accessioned2025-02-18T10:31:15Z
dc.date.available2025-02-18T10:31:15Z
dc.date.issued2024
dc.date.submitted2024
dc.description.abstractMoisture content is one of the most important parameters to monitor and control in dairy powders. Increased moisture contents in the finished powder can allow a higher yield to be achieved, but could also lead to increased risks of quality issues such as microbial growth, stickiness, caking and impaired flowability. For these reasons, within the dairy industry, there is growing interest in the development, and in-line integration of, moisture analysers within drying and powder handling equipment. Near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy is a quick, non destructive, non-product contact option in such scenarios. The studies presented in this thesis involve investigation and identification of the most suitable location to install a non-product contact NIR in-line analyser in an industrial sized spray dryer used for drying a range of dairy powders, with different compositions and physical attributes. Two NIR analysers were studied (PAT 1 and PAT 2), across two spray dryers (Dryer A and Dryer B). The success criteria included (1) the analyser must be accurate to within 0.2% of the standard oven moisture test, (2) the analyser must last 6 months without re-validation, and (3) the analyser must enable operators to control spray dryer settings to achieve real-time optimisation of powder moisture content. This original research demonstrated that a vertical downpipe, located after the fluidised bed, before packaging, with an intermittent internal air purge system to clear any dust accumulation on the sapphire window was the optimal configuration. The main challenges with this configuration, as identified in Chapter 2, were powder (skim milk powder (SMP) and whey powder) accumulation on the sapphire window, and low powder flow rate, both contributing to insufficient powder passing in front of the NIR beam, leading to light reflection from other materials (e.g., stainless steel). To better understand and help mitigate these challenges, in Chapter 3, the physical and bulk handling properties (i.e., particle size and shape, bulk and tapped densities, surface free fat (SFF) and flowability) of SMP and full cream milk powder (FCMP) were investigated, using an in-house designed, laboratory-scale replication of the industrial analyser configuration. This work demonstrated that the analyser was accurate for measuring moisture content of both SMP and FCMP, provided that the flow of powder over the sapphire window was optimal (i.e., no gaps/patches in the flow of powder). This was confirmed by p-values greater than 0.05 for both powders, indicating that the differences between the oven and PAT tool moisture results were not significantly different. This work also clearly showed that particle size distribution (PSD) and particle shape were the main factors influencing the flowability of SMP (with larger, less spherical powder particles having the greatest flowability), which was supported by Pearsons correlation coefficient results, while PSD and SFF were the main factors influencing the flowability of FCMP (with larger particles having low SFF, demonstrating greatest flowability). From the new findings in this thesis, dairy researchers can have a greater scientific insight into the integration and optimisation of non-product contact, in-line moisture analysers such as PAT 2, into spray dryers, to control the moisture content in commodity dairy powders (SMP and FCMP). The conclusions drawn from Chapter 2 will simplify the process of locating a suitable installation point for such an analyser, and the knowledge created from Chapter 3 will enable dairy researchers to tailor processes (e.g., insert powder guiding systems to control the flow, install air purges) based on the properties of the respective powders (SMP or FCMP). The ultimate goal for the dairy research community when applying PAT tools in an industrial sized spray dryer in the future, would be that the spray dryer is automatically controlled (e.g., using an advanced process control system) based on the feedback of moisture results produced by the PAT tool, which will remove the risk of human error. This system will allow for increased powder yield (increased profit margin), the conservation of energy (sustainable processing), and a more consistent product with an increase in right-first-time material (satisfied consumers and a reduction in down-grade material).en
dc.description.statusNot peer revieweden
dc.description.versionAccepted Versionen
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.citationMurphy, Á. L. 2024. The influence of powder composition, physical properties, and design configurations on the suitability of process analytical technologies for the in-line analysis of moisture in dairy powders. MSc Thesis, University College Cork.
dc.identifier.endpage188
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10468/17057
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherUniversity College Corken
dc.rights© 2024, Áine L. Murphyen
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
dc.subjectSpray dryingen
dc.subjectProcess analytical technology (PAT)en
dc.subjectNear infrared (NIR) spectroscopyen
dc.subjectIn-line moisture analyseren
dc.subjectDairy powdersen
dc.subjectFlowabilityen
dc.subjectPhysical propertiesen
dc.subjectPowder compositionen
dc.titleThe influence of powder composition, physical properties, and design configurations on the suitability of process analytical technologies for the in-line analysis of moisture in dairy powders
dc.typeMasters thesis (Research)en
dc.type.qualificationlevelMastersen
dc.type.qualificationnameMSc - Master of Scienceen
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