Production of chhana by ultrafiltration

Ultrafiltration has been successfully used in the manufacture of chhana, an Indian milk product used as a base material for making sweets. The ultrafiltration behaviour of pasteurized whole milk versus severely heated whole milk, as regards the flux, energy requirement for concentration and retention coefficients, was studied. Chhana was manufactured from ultrafiltrated retentates obtained by ultrafiltration of pasteurized whole milk and that of severely heated whole milk and the process standardized with respect to the heat treatment, concentration of coagulant and temperature and pH of coagulation. An increase of 31.4% in the yield of chhana on product basis and of 16.4% on dry matter basis was achieved. Only 4.35 kg of milk was used to produce 1 kg chhana by the ultrafiltration method against 5.7 kg of milk by the conventional method. The process offers access to easy automation and control ensuring uniformity of production on a large scale.