Bioactive Dairy Products and Processes for Their Manufacture

A process for the preparation of a bioactive dairy composition containing 20-90% retained bioactive IgG, for use as an ingredient in a ready-to-eat (RTE) or ready-to-drink (RTD) food product, the process including;

• a) combining a bioactive powder containing a colostrum powder and/or milk powder, and IgG, with a sweetening agent;
• b) adding the bioactive powder and sweetening agent to water having a temperature of 20°-40° C. to form a mix and stirring;
• c) following stirring, standardizing to the required percent total solids with water;
• d) hydrating the mix of step c) for 25-35 minutes;
• e) following hydration, cooling the mix to 2-25° C.;
• and
• f) acidifying the cooled mix of step e) by addition of a solution of food grade acid and stirring to achieve a pH of 3-4;
• g) heating the mix produced by step f) to 60-150° C./1-1800 sec;
• h) cooling the mix of step g) to 2-25° C.

A heat-treated, liquid or semi-liquid bioactive dairy composition having a pH of 2.5-4.0, the bioactive dairy composition including;

• a bioactive powder, the powder including a colostrum powder and/or milk powder, and immunoglobulin G (IgG), water and a food grade acid;
• wherein the bioactive dairy composition has been heated-treated to 60-150° C.;
• and
• wherein the bioactive dairy composition has a retained bioactive IgG level of 20-90% following said heating.