2024 September Board Book

FINDING POTENTIAL AND INCREASING THE VALUE OF PERMEATE WASTE STREAMS

Researchers: Dr. Vincent Yeung, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and Dr. Hoatian Zheng, North Carolina State University PERMEATE DERIVATIVE SHOWS STRONG ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY SUGGESTING ITS USE AS A VALUE- ADDED INGREDIENT IN SKIN CARE PRODUCTS Dairy permeates are lactose-rich dairy byproducts created by separation techniques that remove protein or other solids from milk or whey. Like a colander keeping the pasta and draining out the cooking water, milk and whey separation techniques filter out the large molecules, like proteins, and maintain the smaller molecules in the liquid fraction (permeate) like lactose, vitamins, and minerals. These lactose-rich permeates were once considered to have limited utility, however, due to wide availability and low cost, permeates are an ideal nutri ent-rich substrate that can be used to upcycle low-value compounds into economically valuable ingredients for use in foods, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. A recent study by Dr. Vincent Yeung of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and Dr. Hoatian Zheng of North Carolina State University investigated whether the demand and value of permeate streams could be increased by converting lactose into a high-value, functional derivative. “Lactobionic Acid (LBA) derived from lactose, represents an intriguing opportunity to increase the economic value of whey permeates,” explains Yeung. “LBA is considered a value-added organic acid compared to conventional and bulk organic acids such as citric acid, lactic acid, and acetic acid.” Could the antioxidant activity in LBA increase its value? The study had two objectives: to provide the necessary technical information for synthesizing LBA from recon stituted dairy permeates, and to demonstrate the added value of LBA by measuring its antioxidant activity. Yeung and Zheng knew that dairy permeates differed widely in physiochemical nature, such as pH or ionic strength and that variation in these intrinsic factors could influence

the rate of conversion from lactose to LBA. Therefore, they manufactured LBA from different permeates (milk permeate and cheese whey permeate) and observed the associated lactose reaction rates. To test for antioxidant properties, LBA was converted into a salt, sodium (Na)-lactobionate. They found these sodiums derived from milk permeate and cheese whey permeate demonstrated strong antioxidant activity. Antioxidant properties are useful in many products but may specifically show great potential as a moisturizing agent in sensitive skin products. The promising results from this study were shared with industry stakeholders at several professional meetings as well as with dairy ingredient processors. The researchers are also preparing a manuscript for publication in the Journal of Food Process Engineering . The United States dominates in global permeate production with a market share of nearly 60% Lactose is a traditionally low-value product but LBA, derived from lactose, represents an intriguing opportu nity to increase the economic value of milk and cheese whey permeates. A simple economic analysis suggests that while the cost of production is approximately three times higher for lactobionate than lactic acid, the retail value of lactobionate is upwards of 10 times higher than for lactic acid, indicating that lactobionate is a much higher value ingredient. This project tested the feasibility of manufacturing LBA and lactobionate from reconsti tuted dairy permeates and found the process could be scaled-up for industrial production with only moderate modifications. “The important next steps would be to further streamline the [enzymatic] process to lower the cost of production, and to investigate the challenges of scaling up the process for commercial production, including purification and drying of LBA,” said Yeung.

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