Course Dates:
October 7-8, 2026 | Register Now | Registration closes on September 23, 2026
Course Fee: $575
Please note, our Dairy Ingredient Fundamentals course takes place prior to this one on October 6, 2026. If you are interested in more info or registering for this course as well, click here.
Course Description
This comprehensive course offers a deep dive into dairy processing, including proper selection, operation, and cleaning of equipment commonly found in dairy plants.
Equipment reviewed:
- Tanks, agitators, and pumps
- Evaporators and spray dryers
- Membrane filtration: microfiltration, ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, reverse osmosis
- Mechanical (centrifugal) separators
You’ll learn from CDR scientists and a variety of industry partners in a mixture of lectures and labs in the new CDR Pilot Plant. Pilot plant labs will allow participants the hands-on exposure and ability to operate equipment to evaporate, filter, and dry dairy ingredients.
Learning Objectives
- Understand the components of milk and how they’re separated and used in a variety of applications.
- Learn the basic concepts of pumps, tanks, and agitators.
- Understand thermal processing, including pasteurization (HTST and UHT) and continuous heating/cooling systems.
- Understand the basics of how mechanical separators (disc stack centrifuges) work.
- Operate an evaporator and reverse osmosis system to remove water from a dairy stream.
- Learn the concepts of membrane filtration, including microfiltration, ultrafiltration, and nanofiltration.
- Understand the theory of spray drying, including hands-on experience drying a dairy ingredient.
- Gain insight into how milk and whey ingredients are separated, concentrated, and dried.
This course will run 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. both days
Dr. Daniel Wilbanks - CDR technical course contact
Contact with questions on course content or if this course is right for you.
Heather Cooper - CDR events coordinator
Contact with questions on registration, certificates, or other questions.
Course Instructors: CDR Dairy Products & Processing Staff | Industry Partners
Certificate of Completion
Certificates will be printed and issued in-person on the final day of each course for all in-person courses.
Parking on Campus | Lodging in Madison
Full list of CDR short courses