CALCULATOR FOR DETERMINING THE FAT CONCENTRATION IN RAW MILK REQUIRED TO PRODUCE A WHOLE MILK POWDER OF A SPECIFIED FAT CONCENTRATION

Whole milk powders with a range of fat concentrations are available commercially. The dairy technologist should be able to standardise the fat concentration of milk to enable the production of a powder of a specified fat concentration.

Perhaps the simplest way to do this is to calculate how many times the milk-solids-not-fat has been concentrated in the powder compared with the raw milk; the SNF of raw milk is usually around 8.5. This factor e.g. 8.45 is then divided into the desired fat concentration of the powder e.g. 26% to give the required fat concentration in the raw milk.

The calculator below has been programmed to undertake this calculation and can be used to confirm the results of calculations at production level.

Download an Excel spreadsheet for doing these calculations.

Notes.
This free calculator is intended for educational use only and is not a substitute for employing a qualified food technologist. Use is subject to the Dairy Science and Food Technology legal conditions.
The SNF concentrations in the raw milk and the milk powder should be measured accurately and precisely as should the fat content of the raw milk.
The Pearson's Square or Rectangle calculator can be used to check the standardisation calculations for the raw milk.
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How to cite this article

Mullan, W.M.A. (2008) [On-line] UK: Available: Accessed: