Sustainable pasteurisation reduces impact of Danish cheese production –

A new UV pasteurisation system is minimising the environmental impact of salad cheese production at a Danish company.

Sustainable pasteurisation has been achieved by Arla Foods Kruså by replacing its microfiltration system with a new a UV pasteurisation system from Lyras.

Waste and energy consumption has been reduced while cleaning and operational processes have also become simpler and cheaper. As a result, Lyras’ UV technology, known as Raslysation, will be Arla Food Kruså’s chosen method of brine treatment for the company’s production of salad cheese.

Previously Arla Foods Kruså micro-filtrated its brine. As the production and demand for salad cheese grew, the dairy giant needed a plant that was able to process larger amounts of brine per hour while achieving the same microbiology as from the microfiltration plant.

Now, Lyras’ system enables the team to use considerably less CIP chemicals, has increased capacity and uses half the amount of energy as Arla’s previous equipment. The system was also in production from day one of installation.

Vagn Clausen, packaging manager at Arla Foods Kruså said: “Our new UV system from Lyras enables us to reuse 100% of our brine and thereby eliminate the CO2 emitted from the salt retentate disposal. Additionally, we have reduced our energy and water consumption which is a significant step forward for our overall carbon footprint. From microfiltration, 10-12 per cent of the salt is disposed of as retentate.

“Cleaning has also become cheaper and easier, taking just 15 minutes. The solution is also considerably cheaper compared to cleaning microfiltration systems. Importantly, the working environment for our employees has also improved, and Lyras’ Raslysation system has ensured the high quality of our product is maintained, if not exceeding our previous output.”

Claus Werner Fischbach, process operator at Arla Foods Kruså added: “It’s much easier to operate the new UV system from Lyras compared to the microfiltration plant we had used previously. We control the Raslysation unit from our SCADA system, just as we do with the rest of our process equipment. The Lyras system worked from day one and we’re pleased with the results.”

Raslysation is a non-thermal treatment that uses UV light at a specific wavelength to pasteurise opaque liquid food and non-food products, including dairy, juice and enzymes. The liquid is directed past the light source in a controlled movement so that everything is illuminated to inactivate bacteria and other micro-organisms.

Founded in 2017, Lyras was built on three years of research into sustainable pasteurisation processes and the development of its Raslysation technology alongside public health experts, academics and figures in the dairy and juice industries.

Lyras’ technology has already been sold to companies in the US, Australia, Spain, Sweden and Denmark that operate within the dairy, juice and industrial fermentation industries. Last spring, the method was chosen to secure one of the world’s most expensive dairy products, namely the protein lactoferrin, which is used, among other things, in infant formula. Based in North Jutland, Denmark, the company recently won the EY Future Impact Award 2021.