Originally published October 7 2005
R&D Center provides answers to whey protein problems
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Glambia, the No. 2 producer of whey proteins in the U.S., has in the last few years establish its R&D Center in Twin Falls, Idaho, where prototype products are developed and tested, in hopes of establishing new whey markets.
The use of whey protein in food products began in the early 1990s, but for the first seven or eight years it was used mainly for sports nutrition.
According to Bastian, Glanbia, the number two company in the US market behind Davisco, was initially producing 20-30,000 pounds of its 90 percent whey protein isolate a week.
With this expansion in production and in the market has come a whole new set of issues for formulators, which Glanbia seeks to address through its R&D.
In the applications division, the company is growing its team from two to four and has recently invested in a bar extruder and a pilot plant for beverages, which allow it to test ingredients in prototypes.
The benefit of bars as a delivery mechanism for protein is that, unlike with beverages, there is no need for heat treatment, which can knock out bioactive function.
In an acidic environment the product is better protected against bacteria, so there is less need for refrigeration or asceptic processing.
But drinks makers would like to be able to offer protein drinks with less 'tartness' and a pH of around 4.5, without needing to go through the asceptic process.
So far, Glanbia has come up with a rather complex method of making a pH 4.5 smoothie, but investigations are continuing.
The company is aiming to perfect the process next year.
The US R&D center works in close collaboration with the Glanbia Innovation Center in Kilkenny, Ireland, and responds to feedback and suggestions from current and potential clients.
With considerable research into the weight-loss properties of dairy products, and in particular calcium, in recent times, Glanbia has investigated the role of dairy protein in weight loss and developed an ingredient called Prolibra.
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