Dairy processing systems and methods

A method for filtering milk, the method comprising:

• filtering milk with a wide-pore filter to produce a wide-pore retentate and a wide-pore permeate, wherein the wide-pore retentate comprises casein and beta-lactoglobulin;
• ultra-filtering the wide-pore permeate to produce an ultra-filtered retentate and an ultra-filtered permeate, wherein the ultra-filtered retentate comprises alpha-lactalbumin;
• nano-filtering the ultra-filtered permeate to produce a nano-filtered retentate and a nano-filtered permeate, wherein the nano-filtered retentate comprises lactose;
• performing reverse osmosis on the nano-filtered permeate to produce a reverse osmosis retentate and a reverse osmosis permeate;
• and
• combining at least a portion of two or more of the wide-pore retentate, the ultra-filtered retentate, the reverse osmosis retentate, and the reverse osmosis permeate to produce an alpha-filtered milk product.