Process for production of improved nutritional products containing milk protein and milk saccharides, and products obtained by the process
AssigneeArla Foods Amba
InventorsHans Henrik Holst, Kristian Albertsen
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Abstract
The present invention pertains to an improved process for production of nutritional products, such as e.g. infant formulas, containing milk protein and milk saccharide. The invention is particularly useful for the production of demineralized nutritional products and provides both the final nutritional product as well as milk saccharide-containing milk protein serum ingredients useful for the production of such nutritional products.
Claims14
A method of producing a nutritional product in a form of an infant formula or an infant formula base, the method comprising the steps of:
- a) providing a milk feed comprising milk saccharide, casein micelles, and milk serum protein,
- b) subjecting the milk feed to microfiltration (MF) or microfiltration/diafiltration, thereby providing an MF retentate enriched with respect to micellar casein and an MF permeate enriched with respect to milk serum protein,
- c) subjecting the MF permeate to nanofiltration (NF) or nanofiltration/diafiltration using a membrane that allows for the passage of monovalent ions but retains milk saccharide so as to obtain an NF retentate and an NF permeate,
- d) subjecting the NF retentate to electrodialysis using an anion exchange membrane that results in a reduction of citrate, so as to obtain a demineralised, milk saccharide-containing milk serum protein product which has a reduced level of calcium, magnesium phosphorus and citrate,
- e) adding a casein source, and optionally one or more additional ingredients, to the demineralised, milk saccharide-containing milk serum protein product to obtain the nutritional product in the form of an infant formula or an infant formula base, and
- f) optionally converting the nutritional product to a powder,
- and wherein:
- the milk serum protein-containing streams following step b) are not subjected to ultrafiltration that separates milk serum protein from milk saccharide;
- and a reduction of citrate is not obtained if step d) is omitted after step c).
A method of producing a demineralised, milk saccharide-containing milk serum protein product the method comprising the steps of:
- i) providing a milk feed comprising milk saccharide, casein micelles, and milk serum protein,
- ii) subjecting the milk feed to microfiltration (MF) or microfiltration/diafiltration, thereby providing an MF retentate and an MF permeate,
- iii) subjecting the MF permeate to nanofiltration or nanofiltration/diafiltration so as to obtain an NF retentate and an NF permeate,
- iv) subjecting the NF retentate to electrodialysis, thereby obtaining the demineralised, milk saccharide-containing milk serum protein product containing reduced citrate,
- v) optionally, drying the demineralised, milk saccharide-containing milk serum protein product,
- and wherein the milk serum protein-containing streams following step ii) are not subjected to ultrafiltration that separates milk serum protein from milk saccharide;
- and a reduction of citrate in the demineralized milk saccharide-containing milk serum protein product is not obtained if step iv) is omitted after step iii).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.