Arla Foods Ingredients has developed a new technology that it says will unlock infinite innovation possibilities for the dairy sector.
The technology, which the company describes as ‘revolutionary’, separates milk into its different protein components, opening up possibilities for scientists, nutritionists and health professionals to create next-generation dairy products.
The patented method, termed milk fractionation, allows the selection of specific pure milk proteins, for example, casein and serum whey proteins, for specialised nutrient-specific foods.
Arla believes that it would take infant formula and sports products to the next level, as well as products catering to other vulnerable groups such as the elderly and people with medical nutrition needs.
Henrik Andersen, CEO of Arla Foods Ingredients, said, “The method has been several years in development and I’m delighted to see what was once a vision become a commercial reality with the power to completely revolutionise targeted nutrition for vulnerable groups.
“As science-based innovators we are driven to invent and reinvent our processes to ensure we have the best possible products available and continue to lead the way in whey.”
Milk Fractionation
Milk fractionation process bypasses the cheese-making process, which is used to separate different milk protein components from whey.
The process creates protein streams in a unique and fully controlled process with significantly reduced processing steps and a much more gentle processing of the milk.
The milk fractionation process is being pioneered for infant formula at AFI’s dairy in Videbaek, Denmark to fulfil a growing demand for organic infant formula, Arla added.
It will be used in manufacturing the organic Baby&Me® brand for Arla Foods and AFI expects to launch its first organic private label infant formula solutions based on the technology in 2022.
Andersen added, “Traditional cheese-making demands significant quantities of organic milk to produce the volumes of whey we require to meet demand and now we’re not reliant on this we can significantly increase production and, at the same time, offer parents and guardians greater clarity of the provenance of the organic infant milk formula because just a few Arla farms supply the milk to our factory in Videbaek."
According to Marketreportsworld.com, the infant formula market is estimated to increase by 14.1% in the next two years.
Recently, Arla Foods unveiled a new five-year strategy to cement its commitment to sustainable dairy production.
© 2021 European Supermarket Magazine. Article by Dayeeta Das. For more Fresh Produce news, click here. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
