Dairy industry’s pumping challenges

From butter and ice cream to yogurt, dairy products are a staple at many tables and the global demand is on a steady rise.

Dairy products are variable in consistency and viscosity, and thus effective pumping equipment is needed to transport them during the production process, and rigorous processing standards are in place to ensure the quality of the produced goods.

One of the most popular pumping solutions in dairy production is the use of peristaltic pumps, which generally come in two varieties – hose and tube pumps.

The main difference between the two pump types is the pressure inside the tubing, with hose pumps using high pressures in thicker, reinforced tubes (hence called 'hose') while tube pumps use lower pressures and thinner pumps.

Peristaltic pumps are an efficient solution for dairy production due to them being non-contaminating as fluid media only comes into contact with tubing, and they are also USP, FDA, EP, 3A, and NSF compliant.

One of the providers of peristaltic pumps for the dairy industry is Masterflex, whose machines are capable of pumping liquid material of varying viscosity at variable speeds, operating without valves, and – according to the manufacturer – can deliver up to 8 LPM (2.1 GPM) with I/P 73 Norprene food tubing .