Process for the manufacture of stabilized milk products

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF STABLE NONHYGROSCOPIC POWDER FROM LIQUID LACTEAL MATERIAL CONTAINING SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNTS OF ALPHA LACTOSE MONOHYDRATE, THE STEPS OF CONCENTRATING THE MATERIAL, CAUSING A SUBSTANTIAL PART OF THE LACTOSE CONTENT OF THE CONCENTRATE TO BE CRYSTALLIZED IN THE FORM OF SMALL SIZED PARTICLES OF ALPHA LACTOSE MONOHYDRATE, SPRAY DRYING THE CONCENTRATE TO FORM A POWDERED MATERIAL, SAID SPRAY DRYING BEING CARRIED OUT BY ATOMIZING THE CONCENTRATE AND CAUSING THE ATOMIZED PARTICLES TO BE SUSPENDED IN A DRYING GAS IN A DRYING ZONE, CONTINUOUSLY REMOVING THE POWDERED MATERIAL FROM THE DRYING ZONE AND CONTINUOUSLY CLASSIFYING THE SAME INTO A STABILIZED FRACTION AND AN INCOMPLETELY STABILIZED FRACTION, SAID FRACTIONS DIFFERING IN THAT THE STABILIZED FRACTION HAS A HIGHER PERCENTAGE OF ITS LACTOSE IN THE FORM OF LACTOSE MONOHYDRATE, THE LACTOSE CONTENT OF BOTH SAID FRACTIONS BEING SUBSTANTIALLY ENTIRELY IN THE ALPHA FORM, AND CONTINUOUSLY RETURNING THE LAST NAMED FRACTION TO SAID DRYING ZONE TO CAUSE THE SAME TO COMMINGLE WITH THE ATOMIZED PARTICLES THEREIN, WHEREBY MATERIAL THUS RETAINED IS MORE COMPLETELY STABILIZED TO MERGE WITH THE STABILIZED FRACTION.