Arla Foods introduces ‘milk fractionation’ technology to separate milk into protein components

Dairy company Arla Foods Ingredients has introduced a technology to separate milk into its different protein components.

The patented method, called milk fractionation, was developed by Arla Foods Ingredients, a subsidiary of the European dairy co-operative Arla Foods that specializes in milk and whey ingredients.

AFI set themselves the challenge of delivering the scientific breakthrough to enable scientists, nutritionists and health professionals to create next generation dairy products. Now, this is made possible through the selection of specific pure milk proteins, for example, casein and serum whey proteins, the company said in a news release.

Enabling the development of specialized nutrient-specific foods opens up new opportunities for taking infant formula and sports products to the next level and catering to other vulnerable groups such as the elderly and people with medical nutrition needs, as well.

The separation of milk’s different proteins from whey previously relied on cheese-making as whey is a byproduct of this process. Now, by bypassing the cheese-making process,the patented milk fractionation technology not only allows for a bigger potential raw material pool but it also creates protein streams in a fully controlled process with significantly reduced processing steps and a much more gentle processing of the milk.

“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 revolutionize targeted nutrition for vulnerable groups,” said Henrik Andersen, chief executive officer of Arla Foods Ingredients.

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 Foods Ingredients is currently using the new technology 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 during 2022.