An optical method to monitor casein particle size distribution in whey
Résumé
An optical sensor formerly developed for the monitoring of milk coagulation was modified to allow online determination of casein particle size distribution and of the volume fraction relative to the whey as a function of time. Two methods were assessed to process the signals. The first one was based on the determination of a specific voltage threshold of the optical signal. The results were not satisfying. The second method used multiple thresholds of the optical signal associated with data processing using neural networks. For the considered experimental conditions, the casein particle volume fraction was estimated with a relative error of 23%, and the casein particle size distribution with 7.5% maximum relative error.