Unlocking Nutritious Goodness: Innovative Solutions for Your Soy Milk Processing Line

2024-09-14

The soy milk processing line is a comprehensive system designed to convert raw soybeans into high-quality soy milk. This process involves several critical stages, each of which plays a vital role in ensuring the final product meets health standards and consumer expectations. Below is a detailed breakdown of the main components and steps involved in the soy milk processing line.

1. Soybean Cleaning

The first step in the processing line is cleaning the soybeans to remove impurities such as stones, dirt, and debris. This is typically achieved using various cleaning equipment, including destoners, magnetic separators, and air cleaning machines. Effective cleaning is crucial as it ensures that only high-quality soybeans are used in subsequent processes.

2. Soaking

Once cleaned, the soybeans are soaked in water to soften them. This soaking process enhances the extraction of milk by breaking down the cell structure of the beans. The soaking can be done using hot water at temperatures around 60°C for 1-2 hours or through other methods depending on production needs.

3. Grinding

After soaking, the beans are ground into a slurry using a grinder or mill. The grinding process involves mixing the soaked beans with water to create a smooth paste or slurry that facilitates further extraction of soy milk.

4. Separation

The next step involves separating the liquid soy milk from the solid soybean pulp (okara). This can be accomplished using separation devices such as centrifuges or filter presses. The goal here is to extract as much liquid as possible while discarding or repurposing the remaining solids.

5. Heating and Pasteurization

To ensure safety and extend shelf life, the extracted soy milk must be heated to kill any harmful bacteria present in it. This heating can be performed using heat exchangers or pasteurization units where temperatures are raised significantly for a specified duration.

6. Flavoring and Fortification

At this stage, manufacturers may choose to enhance the taste and nutritional profile of their soy milk by adding flavors (like vanilla or chocolate), sweeteners (such as sugar), or fortifying ingredients (like calcium or vitamins). Mixing equipment is used to ensure these additives are thoroughly blended into the soy milk.

7. Homogenization

Homogenization is an essential step that breaks down fat droplets within the soy milk, resulting in a smoother texture and preventing separation during storage. A homogenizer applies pressure to achieve this uniform consistency.

8. Filtration and Sterilization

Further filtration may be necessary to remove any remaining impurities from the soy milk before sterilization if long shelf life is desired. Ultra-high temperature (UHT) processing may be employed at this stage to ensure that all microorganisms are eliminated effectively.

9. Packaging

Finally, after all processing steps have been completed, the finished soy milk is packaged into containers such as cartons, bottles, or pouches using filling and sealing machines designed for efficiency and hygiene purposes.

Overall, each component of a soy milk processing line works together seamlessly to produce high-quality soy milk efficiently while maintaining food safety standards throughout production.

Soy Milk Processing Line

Soy Milk Processing Equipment

The soy milk processing equipment is designed to efficiently convert raw soybeans into a high-quality soy milk product. The complete set of equipment typically includes the following key components:

1. Soybean Washing Machine This machine cleans the soybeans by removing dust, microorganisms, and impurities such as rocks and metals. It consists of spray pipes, a drum, an overflow tank, and a bean suction pump. The capacity ranges from 100 kg to 500 kg per hour.

2. Soybean Soaking Machine The soaking machine softens the soybean cell structure to improve dispersion and increase protein yield. There are various soaking methods, but hot water soaking is commonly used for its efficiency. This machine has a production capacity of 200 kg to 2000 kg per hour.

3. Vacuum Soybean Absorber This equipment transports cleaned soybeans to the next processing stage using vacuum technology, which eliminates manual handling and enhances production efficiency.

4. Triple Soy Milk Refiner and Fiber Separator Unit This unit refines the soaked soybeans into a slurry while separating okara (the fibrous byproduct). It operates automatically with sensors that control the feeding process and ensure continuous operation.

5. Colloid Mill + Decanter Extraction An alternative method for extracting soy milk involves grinding the soaked beans in a colloid mill followed by separation using a decanter centrifuge. This method is suitable for higher capacity production.

6. Soy Milk Cooker This optional equipment uses high-temperature steam to heat the soybean slurry, inactivating enzymes that contribute to undesirable flavors while also sterilizing the mixture.

7. Soy Milk Blending and Formulation Tank System In this system, additional ingredients such as sugar and flavorings are mixed with the raw soy milk to enhance taste and nutritional value.

8. Soy Milk Homogenizer, Degasser, and Sterilizer Unit This unit deodorizes, homogenizes, sterilizes, and cools the soy milk in one process step, ensuring product safety and quality.

9. Soy Milk Filling Machine After processing, the soy milk is packaged in glass bottles or flexible pouches. Depending on packaging type, secondary sterilization may be required to extend shelf life.

10. CIP Online Cleaning System A crucial component for maintaining hygiene standards in food processing; this system ensures that all equipment can be cleaned without disassembly.

The entire production line can be customized based on specific requirements such as desired output capacity (ranging from 500 LPH to 20,000 LPH) and product specifications (pure soy milk vs blended beverages).

Overall, these machines work together seamlessly to produce high-quality soy milk while maximizing efficiency and minimizing labor costs through automation.

Soy Milk Processing machine

Advantages of Beyond Mechanical Soybean Deactivation Softening Grinding Machine Equipment

The grinding equipment provided by domestic traditional equipment manufacturers has a particle size of 0.15mm to 0.3mm after crushing and grinding, and the dry protein content in soybean residue after protein extraction is about 27%.

Through in-depth research, Beyond Machinery has improved the grinding gear structure of the coarse grinder, making it more durable and capable of crushing, softening, and conveying; We have redeveloped the "Integrated Multi stage Grinding and Grinding Machine for High frequency Vibration Vacuum Extraction of Positive and Negative Teeth", which is more conducive to the separation of protein and fiber after precision grinding. The particle size can reach 0.05-0.10mm after precision grinding, and the dry protein content in soybean residue after protein extraction is ≤ 22%, increasing the protein utilization rate by 5%. At the same time, the internal structure of the inactivation machine was optimized and designed. Through the internal axis heating structure design, steam can enter through the axis to heat the surface of Douban, solving the problem of insufficient internal Douban heating in the past. Three simultaneous heating methods, namely the inactivation machine outer shell layer, inner axis cavity, and steam direct injection, were realized to more uniformly inactivate enzymes and passivate the Douban surface, which is more conducive to subsequent processing, improvement of product flavor, and extension of shelf life.

The "three simultaneous heating methods of deactivating the outer shell layer, inner shaft cavity, and steam direct injection" and the "integrated multi-stage grinding and refining machine with positive and negative teeth high-frequency oscillation vacuum extraction" of this unit are the first of their kind in China (not available internationally).

Technical Description of Soybean Inactivation Grinding Machine

1. Scope of application: "Soybean deactivation softening and grinding unit" is the latest deactivation and grinding integrated machine independently developed by Beyond Machinery, it has advanced performance, stability and reliability, high protein extraction rate, easy use and maintenance, and is compatible with other products such as oats.The pulp production of cereal products has achieved leading levels in protein yield and residue protein in the industry.

2. Process flow: Peeling Douban → Heating and inactivating enzymes on the inner and outer shells → Steam jet heating and inactivating enzymes → Hot water and alkaline water on beans flap softening → primary crushing and coarse grinding → secondary softening maintenance → secondary high-frequency extraction and fine grinding → horizontal screw separation.

3. Technical description: After peeling, Douban is fed into a spiral deactivation machine through a rotating discharge valve. The surface of Douban is subjected to enzyme inactivation and passivation through three heating methods: the outer shell layer, inner shaft chamber, and steam direct injection hole of the deactivation machine to improve the taste and flavor of the product. In addition, weak alkaline water and hot water are added to soften the bean cloves, which are then ground in a first stage coarse mill. After the first stage grinding, they enter a holding tube for secondary soaking and softening, and then enter a second stage precision mill for grinding. The precision mill adopts a new technology of high-frequency oscillation vacuum extraction with positive and negative teeth, effectively improving protein utilization.

4. Equipment parameters: Grinding capacity of 4-6t/h and 8-10t/h;
Grinding concentration of 9-11%;
Grinding fineness of 0.05-0.1mm;
Steam consumption is 300kg/h;
Configure power of 94kw and 132kw; Material SUS304, hard alloy steel.

5. Validation parameters: ① Deactivation tube: capable of 1.0~1.5t/h peeling Douban, heating temperature (at the steam nozzle) 120 ℃, Douban surface temperature 90~100 ℃, rotating heating time 40 seconds; Heat the water and grind the slurry at a temperature of 80-85 ℃.
② Coarse grinding: feed particles of 5-40mm, discharge particles of 0.5-2mm; The material of the rotor and stator is hard alloy steel surface hardening and quenching treatment; Water to material ratio of 1: 4-6 t/h and 8-10 t/h for slurry grinding; The motor power is 55kw and 75kw.
③ Fine grinding: feed particles 0.5-2mm; Discharge particles of 0.05-0.1mm; The material of the rotor and stator is hard alloy steel surface hardening and quenching treatment; Water to material ratio of 1: 4-6 t/h and 8-10 t/h for slurry grinding; The motor power is 37kw and 55kw.
④ Slag protein: In small-scale experiments, slag protein detection showed a dry residue of 22%; Large scale experimental residue protein detection results in a dry residue of 15% to 17%; The average dry residue in the continuous 6-hour test residue protein detection is ≤ 22% (occasional occurrence of 25.7%, analyzed as caused by insufficient water addition).

Note: When fully utilizing soybean flour, fine grinding is not used, and the material is directly discharged from coarse grinding. The particle size is generally 0.5-2mm, and the water to material ratio is 1:1.5.

Raw materials and final products of soy milk processing line

Raw Materials: The primary raw material used in the soy milk processing line is soybeans (Glycine max). These soybeans are selected based on their quality, with the ideal variety being those with a clear hylem, which is considered more flavorful. The soybeans undergo several preparation steps before they can be processed into soy milk:

Cleaning: The soybeans are cleaned to remove impurities such as stones, dirt, and debris using various cleaning equipment like destoners and magnetic separators.

Soaking: The cleaned soybeans are soaked in water to soften them, which enhances the extraction of milk during grinding. This soaking process typically uses hot water at a ratio of 1:3 (soybeans to water) for optimal results.

Grinding: After soaking, the beans are ground into a slurry, which is essential for extracting the liquid soy milk.

Separation: Following grinding, the slurry is separated into liquid soy milk and solid pulp (okara) using centrifuges or filter presses.

Flavoring and Fortification: Depending on the desired product specifications, additional ingredients such as sweeteners, flavors, vitamins, and minerals may be added to enhance taste and nutritional value.

Final Products: The final products of the soy milk processing line can vary based on formulation and processing methods. They include:

Pure Soy Milk: An emulsion made by extracting protein from soybeans with water while removing dregs; it contains no less than 8% soybean solids.

Blended Soy Milk: This type includes added ingredients like sugar, refined vegetable oil, minerals, and vitamins; it has a soybean solids content of more than 5%.

High Solids and High Fiber Soy Milk: Made from whole soybeans with a high fiber content due to a water extraction ratio of 1:5.

Sour Soy Milk Beverage: Fermented pure soy milk that contains lactic acid or sour agents; it has a minimum soybean solid content of 4%.

Juice Soy Milk Beverage: A beverage that combines concentrated juice or original juice with pure soymilk; it must contain at least 2.5% juice and 2% soybean solids.

Soy Milk Powder: Produced through processes like vacuum concentration and spray drying; this powder contains functional peptides beneficial for health.

Okara: The byproduct from the separation process that can be used as animal feed or in other food products due to its high fiber content.

These products can be packaged in various forms such as bottles, tin cans, stand-up pouches, or aseptic cartons depending on market requirements.

Shanghai Beyond Machinery Co., Ltd.
Beyond Machinery specializes in the design and manufacturing of soy milk processing plant.Please contact us now, and ourprofessional technical engineers will customize the equipment plan for soy milk production plant and provide a quotation.Please contact us now to obtain the latest equipment plan and quotation.