What is how to make evaporated milk?

Evaporated milk, also known as dehydrated milk, is a shelf-stable canned milk product where about 60% of the water has been removed from fresh milk. Here's how it's made:

1. Standardization: Fresh milk is received and standardized to a specific fat content, depending on the desired final product. This ensures consistency in the final product.
2. Preheating: The milk is preheated to kill any harmful bacteria and inactivate enzymes. This typically involves heating it to around 82-85°C (180-185°F) for a few minutes.
3. Evaporation: The preheated milk is then transferred to a vacuum evaporator. The reduced pressure allows the water to evaporate at a lower temperature (around 45-60°C or 113-140°F), preserving the milk's flavor and color. This is the key step in reducing the water content. Refer to evaporation%20process for more details.
4. Homogenization (Optional): Some manufacturers homogenize the evaporated milk to prevent fat separation during storage. Homogenization breaks down the fat globules into smaller sizes.
5. Stabilization: A stabilizer, such as disodium phosphate, may be added to prevent coagulation during sterilization.
6. Cooling: The concentrated milk is then cooled.
7. Canning: The cooled, concentrated milk is filled into sterilized cans.
8. Sterilization: The sealed cans are then sterilized under pressure and high temperatures (typically around 115-121°C or 239-250°F) in a retort. This ensures that any remaining bacteria are killed, making the product shelf-stable. The details about sterilization can be found on this page.
9. Cooling and Storage: The cans are then cooled quickly to prevent overcooking and stored.

The heat treatment during the evaporation and sterilization processes causes some caramelization of the lactose, which gives evaporated milk its characteristic slightly cooked flavor and darker color compared to fresh milk.