Gujarat-Based Firm Develops ‘MilkoChill,’ a Low-Cost Instant Milk Chiller

Dairy producers can now have their milk chilled at procurement centres, preventing quality degradation and spoilage due to increased bacterial counts. Prompt Equipments Private Limited, based in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, has developed an affordable instant milk chilling unit called MilkoChill, which can be installed at village milk collection centres.

MilkoChill is a low-cost instant milk chiller that keeps milk fresh and helps it last longer. Farmers can pour milk into the unit, which instantly reduces the temperature of the milk from 35 to 7 degrees Celsius.

Prompt Director Shridhar Mehta informed, "The chilling of milk at the point of procurement is a major challenge for the Indian dairy industry. Many investments have been made in cold-chain infrastructure, but milk chilling at the source has proven difficult. We decided to address this issue with the Milkochill product."

This means better milk quality, a longer shelf life, and more income for dairy farmers. Prompt uses a patented thermodynamic design developed under a technology licence from IIT-Bombay to develop the product. The thermal storage mechanism stores energy whenever electricity is available and allows for instant milk chilling even when power is not available. This makes it appropriate for rural areas where power supply is frequently erratic.

The heat from the compressor is recovered by the heat recovery unit, which stores water at 55-60 degrees Fahrenheit for the cleaning-in-place (CIP) process for equipment. "The heat recovery unit is a significant differentiator from the bulk milk chilling units that are available," Mehta said.

Milk spoilage is a major concern because most milk is purchased in rural areas. At the time of milking, the temperature of the milk is around 35 degrees. The milk is then collected at the procurement centre and transported in a few hours to a nearby dairy or bulk milk chilling (BMC) facility. This has been found to have an impact on milk quality due to bacterial growth under warmer conditions.

 "We desired immediate cooling after pouring the milk into the machine. The temperature is reduced to 7 degrees in 10 minutes so that the supply chain is not disrupted "Mehta stated.

The machine costs Rs 3 lakh and consumes about 12 units of power. It can instantly chill 250 litres per hour and has a daily capacity of 500 litres. "This is a cost-effective method of cooling the milk. In comparison to BMCs, which cost about 22 pence per litre, milk chilling in this machine costs 14 paise per litre "Mehta stated.

So far, the company has completed 25 installations, with a goal of 150 installations in the first year. The machine is manufactured in the company's factory near Ahmedabad. The company recently received an award from the Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying in the category of Development of Low-cost Cooling and Milk Preservation System in the Animal Husbandry Start-up Grand Challenge 2.0.