Things You'll Need:
- 12 cups fresh water (3 quarts)
- 6 cups instant dry milk powder
- 1 to 1-1/2 cups white vinegar
- Colander
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Step 1
Heat 12 cups of water in a large pot using medium heat. Stir in the dry milk powder and continue you heating for 10 minutes. Be sure not to scorch the milk. Stir in the cup of vinegar and continue heating for another 10 minutes.
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Step 2
Take the pot off of the stove to let the mixture settle. A large lump of curd will form in the pot. Drain all of the excess liquid into a large bowl using a colander. This excess liquid is the whey.
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Step 3
Spray-dry the liquid to induce lactose crystallization, or formation of the powder. To do this your will need a spray drying machine or atomizer, which disperses liquid and then heats the liquid into a powder. You can purchase spray-drying equipment on the Internet (See Resources).
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Step 4
Complete the crystallization by quickly cooling the powder after the heating process. This process usually takes place in a fluidized bed after the liquid has been evaporated. The crystallization will continue for as long as 4 to 24 hours.
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Step 5
Use a microfilter to separate all of the protein from the powder. This powder is whey-isolated protein which is sold as protein powder. This step is the most difficult as microfilters are not commercially sold, but can be found if you have laboratory contacts. You may need to send your whey powder after it is crystallized to a certified professional for the powder to be microfiltered.
