Making Almond Milk
Find innovative production technology for making almond milk and connect directly with world-leading specialists
Although the first association with almond milk might be the modern plant-based lifestyle trend, it is dated even back to the Middle Ages when it was used as an alternative to cow milk during Catholic fasting. Once harvested, almonds undergo a series of treatments in almond milk manufacturing equipment, such as bleaching, peeling, and grinding, to get the delicious final product for breakfast and desserts.
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Picking the perfect almonds for the perfect almond milk
Like any other plant-based milk, nuts, in this case almonds, together with water, are the main ingredients when making almond milk. Interestingly, almond trees bear fruit classified as drupes, and the edible nut is part of its seed. Drupes grow during spring and then split open during summer to allow the almond to dry.
Ideally, almonds for almond milk production should meet the following standards: less than 6.5% of moisture, intact, well developed – more than 75% of the nut must be usable -free from blemishes and discolorated as well as pests. The production starts with the harvest assisted by a harvesting machine called almond shaker that shakes almonds off a tree.
Once harvested, almonds are passed through huller and sheller machines. In order to preserve flavor, it is crucial to store almonds properly. They can be stored in bins, silos, or bulk containers isolated from foreign smells as they absorb odors easily. Furthermore, almonds should be kept at temperatures lower than 10°C and relative humidity under 65%.
Milking almonds: key processes and almond milk manufacturing equipment
Before starting the production process, almonds should be soaked for 6 to 20 hours. Once soaked, almonds are bleached in almost boiling (90°C) water for 2.5 minutes, followed by going through the rubber rollers to remove the skin, preventing potential microbiological hazards. Almonds, water and emulsifiers, mainly soy lecithin, are added to a grinder to achieve emulsion. Soy lecithin decreases the tension between oils and water and stabilizes the emulsion.
The emulsified mixture is then filtered to remove solids which can reduce the mass by 25%. The next piece of almond milk manufacturing equipment in the production process is the blending tank in which the almond paste, syrup, emulsifier and other flavors are added to create the final product.
The type of agitator, temperature and blending play a crucial role in the beverage’s viscosity, texture and flavor. Almond milk is finally pasteurized at 90°C and maintained for 90 seconds to eliminate bacteria and achieve food safety standards. After that, the temperature is brought down to 4°C.
High-Pressure Process as an alternative food safety method
Although pasteurization is the most traditional and widely used method to achieve satisfactory food safety standards, one of the newly designed propositions is a so-called High-Pressure Process. The process is non-thermal, which means it does not use heat but relies on elevating pressure to eliminate hazardous microorganisms from sustenance. This process maintains all qualities of almond milk while, at the same time, damaging membranes of microorganisms, denaturing their proteins and disturbing their cell PH balance which inactivates them. It is achieved by placing the product in a pressure vessel, filling it with water and adding pressure up to 600MPa with a pump. The product is then unloaded and its original temperature is restored.
Do judge almond milk by its cover: different packages and what they mean
Almond milk comes in various packaging, but the difference is more than just aesthetic. For instance, almond milk that comes in glass bottles or tin cans is pre-pasteurized and secondary sterilized once in the packaging. If almond milk is sold in aseptic brick cartons, the product undergoes an ultra-pasteurization process, which is pasteurization at a higher temperature point.
This type of almond milk does not require the addition of antioxidants and has a shelf life of up to a year. Finally, HTST pasteurization was used for almond milk in a gable top carton. This high-temperature short-time process takes place in stainless steel heat exchange plates where the liquid temperature is raised to a minimum of 72°C for at least 15 seconds before being rapidly cooled. It has the shortest shelf life, about one week, and must be kept at low temperatures.
The big question: eco-friendliness and sustainability
When it comes to sustainability and almond milk, there are many questions. Namely, the main issue arising is the relatively large amounts of water, precisely 74 liters, required to produce a glass of almond milk compared to other plant-based alternatives, such as soy and oat milk that need less than 10 and 20 liters, respectively. However, it is still a lesser amount required to produce a glass of cow’s milk – roughly 120 liters.
Nevertheless, almond milk compromises it with a brilliant carbon dioxide emission record: less than 0.2 kg is emitted to produce 200 ml of a beverage, which is the least of all milk alternatives, and considerably less than more than 0.6 kg emitted during the production of the same amount of dairy milk. In addition, dairy milk production emissions are believed to be even 30 times higher than estimated. Therefore, the positive impact on the environment achieved by switching to plant-based alternatives is often underestimated.
Processing steps involved in almond milk making
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