MILK-BASED FORMULATION
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to milk-based formulations. More partic
ularly, the invention relates to milk-based formulations which are suitable for the
preparation of recombined milk products with a reduced carbohydrate content.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It is well recognized that recombined milk beverages prepared by recombining
milk powder and water have several defects compared to normal milk.
Deficiencies appear especially in the preparation of recombined milk beverages
with reduced lactose contents. The deficiencies are both organoleptical and nu
tritional in nature. For instance, the recombined milk beverages are susceptible
to form precipitates/sediments during heat treatment, and especially during sto r
age of the beverages. The precipitated matter is mainly consisted of milk pro
teins. It is known that among milk proteins, whey proteins especially are very
heat-sensitive. Certain minerals may also have an influence on the precipitation
phenomenon of the recombined milk beverages. Currently, the problems associ
ated with the sensitivity of precipitation of the recombined milk products, ag
glomeration has been avoided by using additives like stabilizers in the products.
Low lactose or lactose-free milk beverages can be prepared from recombined
milk beverages by hydrolyzing the lactose thereof. However, the
amount of natural lactose content is relatively high, which means that the hydrol
ysis of lactose produces a great amount of glucose and galactose imparting an
uncommon sweet taste to the product.
One important factor causing various problems to the recombined milk
products is the Maillard reaction which is a nonenzymatic browning reaction be
tween reducing sugars and free amino groups of milk proteins. The Maillard re
action is a common problem especially in lactose-hydrolyzed milk products. Re
ducing sugars, glucose and galactose, produced in lactose hydrolysis are more
reactive than lactose, thus causing stronger Maillard browning reaction. In hydrolyzed
milk, the molar content of these reducing monosaccharides is almost do u
ble in comparison with that of regular milk lactose. It is further known that the
Maillard reaction becomes even stronger during heat treatment of the lactosehydrolyzed
milk products.
The Maillard browning products cause an undesirable change in the
organoleptic properties of the heat-treated milk, such as taste, colour, and structure.
In addition, the Maillard reaction has a detrimental effect on the nutritional
quality of milk. Bioavailability of lysine which is an important amino acid for the
nutritional value is reduced. The Maillard reaction and destruction of lysine co n
tinues during the storage at a room temperature after the heat treatment of the
milk product.
The Maillard reaction can be monitored by furosine, which presents
products formed in the reactions between free amino groups and reducing sug
ars, and resulting in a loss of their availability.
It is further known that drying of milk to powder changes the quality of
milk protein which can be seen in the recombined milk products. The Maillard
reaction proceeds also during the production process of milk powders. Proteins
also denaturate during drying.
Among many people, there is still much suspicion towards the use of
the recombined milk products obviously because of their defective organoleptic
properties. Typically, the recombined milk products are not perceived as equat
ing to normal milk.
There is thus a need for new milk products which are suitable for pre
paring recombined milk products with a reduced carbohydrate content and good
nutritional quality, and which reduce or eliminate sediment formation and minimize
the taste and texture problems of the recombined milks.
It is very challenging to achieve recombined milk products with re
duced carbohydrate contents that are completely flawless in taste and structure,
that meet the consumers' expectations on an organoleptically competent milk
product, and that are produced economically and simply.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
It has now been found a milk-based formulation which is suitable for
preparing recombined milk products with a reduced carbohydrate content, hav
ing a good taste of normal milk, and which avoids the typical problems associat
ed with the similar prior art products. The recombined milk products are completely
flawless in their organoleptic properties, especially in taste.
In an aspect, the invention provides a milk-based formulation with a
reduced carbohydrate content, having a ratio of carbohydrates to protein of at
most 1.1 , a protein content of at least 5.4% on dry matter basis, and a ratio of
ash to protein is substantially similar to that of a milk raw material used as a
starting material.
It was surprisingly found that the defects in organoleptic properties,
like precipitation and defects in taste, and nutritional quality of the recombined
milk products can be avoided by reducing the lactose content of the milk-based
formulation before concentrating it to a form suitable for recombination. As the
amount of the products produced in lactose hydrolysis of milk, involving in the
Maillard reaction, are reduced, the Maillard reaction is significantly suppressed
and the typical problems associated therewith are avoided.
Moreover, the shelf life of the recombined milk products of the inven
tions, especially at a room temperature, is prolonged.
In another aspect, the invention provides a process for producing a
milk-based formulation of the invention, comprising removing carbohydrates from
a milk raw material to provide the milk-based formulation with a reduced carbo
hydrate content.
In a still another aspect, the invention provides a process for producing
a milk-based formulation of the invention, comprising
a) separating components of a milk raw material into a protein f rac
tion, carbohydrate fraction and mineral fraction,
b) combining at least a portion of the protein fraction and of the min
eral fraction to provide the milk-based formulation.
In a further aspect, the invention provides a use of milk powder having
a ratio of carbohydrates to protein of at most 1.1 and a protein content of at least
5.4% on dry matter basis for the preparation of a recombined milk product with a
reduced carbohydrate content.
The milk powder of the invention enables to prepare lactose-free milk
with good taste without investments in equipment in the plant where the lactosefree
milk is prepared. Lactose-free milk can be prepared from the milk powder of
the invention and water and/or normal milk. Due to the favourable composition of
the milk powder it can be dried to powder with reduced Maillard reactions. Quan
tity of the recombined milk product prepared from the milk powder of the invention
is thus improved.
In a still further aspect, the invention provides a process for producing
a recombined milk product having a reduced carbohydrate content, comprising
recombining milk powder having a ratio of carbohydrates to protein of at most
1.1 and a protein content of at least 5.4% on dry matter basis, and a liquid and
optional other ingredients to provide the recombined milk product with a reduced
carbohydrate content. The composition of the recombined milk product can be
adjusted to correspond to that of normal milk except for lactose by combining the
milk powder and liquid without any further additives, like mineral supplement.
The invention provides a process that is simple, economic, industrially
applicable on a large scale, and does not cause additional cost.
The invention also provides a process which brings remarkable sav
ings in transportation cost.
The invention further provides a process which allows to control the
adverse effects of recombination in an economical, efficient and simple manner.
Taste, colour, and structural defects caused by natural milk enzyme
activities and microbe-induced enzyme activities as well as the use of a lactase
enzyme and side activities typical of commercial enzyme preparations in the
heat-treated recombined milk products are avoided with the process of the in
vention. With the process of the invention, it is possible to improve the organo
leptic properties, especially the stability of the taste properties and structure at
room temperature, of the recombined milk products with reduced carbohydrate
contents, as a result of which the shelf life of the product can be extended.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The term "recombined milk products" is used herein to mean milk
products which are prepared by recombining a milk-based formulation with a
liquid. Further ingredients, like milk fat (cream, butter) can be incorporated into
the recombined milk product in order to obtain a desired fat content of the prod
uct. Formulation can also be produced with a desired fat, protein and mineral
content.
The term "liquid" is used herein to mean water, a milk raw material, or
plant (vegetable) origin material, or a combination of these. Accordingly, the liq
uid can be, for instance, side streams obtained from manufacturing process of
milk products, such as rinsing waters (washing waters) derived from streams
obtained from washing/rinsing of processing pipes, containers and vessels in
dairy and plant (vegetable) product manufacturing plants. Typically, side streams
include UF permeates, NF permeates, RO permeates, RO retentates, diawater,
or mixtures thereof. Preferably, the liquid is water, skim milk or RO-retentate.
The term "milk raw material" is used herein to mean to milk, whey,
and combinations of milk and whey as such obtained from an animal, such as a
cow, sheep, goat, camel, mare or any other animal that produces milk suitable
for human consumption, or milk that is pre-processed as desired, for example as
a concentrate. The milk may be supplemented with ingredients generally used in
the preparation of milk products, such as fat, protein or sugar fractions, or the
like. The milk may thus be, for instance, full-fat milk, cream, low-fat milk or skim
milk, ultrafiltered milk, diafiltered milk, microfiltered milk or milk recombined from
milk powder, organic milk or a combination of these. The milk raw material can
be, for instance, side streams obtained from manufacturing process of milk
products. Preferably, the milk raw material is skim milk.
In an aspect, the invention provides a milk-based formulation with a
reduced carbohydrate composition, having a ratio of carbohydrates to protein of
at most 1.1 , a protein content of at least 5.4% on dry matter basis, and a ratio of
ash to protein is substantially similar to that of a milk raw material used as a
starting material.
In an embodiment, the formulation has a dry matter content of 8 to 60%.
In an embodiment, the formulation is powder. The dry matter content
of powder is typically in the range from 94 to 100%.
An ash to protein ratio of the formulation has a significant effect on the
organoleptic properties, especially on taste, of the formulation. In an embod i
ment of the invention, ash is provided as milk-based minerals in the formulation.
In an embodiment, the ratio of carbohydrates to protein is at most 0.9.
In another embodiment, the ratio of carbohydrates to protein is at most 0.4. In
still another embodiment, the ratio of carbohydrates to protein is at least 0.02.
In an embodiment, the milk-based formulation comprises 5.4 to 80%
protein on dry matter basis.
In an embodiment, a ratio of the monovalent minerals of milk to protein
is substantially similar to that of the milk raw material.
In an embodiment, the milk-based formulation is powder.
It is generally known that the protein content of natural milk can vary
within quite a wide range, depending on animal species, breed, feeding and
season, etc. For example, the protein content of milk obtained from cows can
vary between 1.8 to 6.3%.
In an embodiment, the milk-based formulation comprises 5.4 to 65%
protein, 4.6 to 4 1% carbohydrates, and 1.0 to 14% ash on non-fat total solid ba
sis. In another embodiment, the milk-based formulation comprises about 48 to
60% protein, about 24 to 43% carbohydrates, and 10 to 13% ash.
The carbohydrate content of the milk raw material can be reduced by
any manner known in the art. Carbohydrates present in natural milk are primarily
lactose. Prior to lactose removal, the fat content of the milk raw material may be
reduced.
In another aspect, the invention provides a process for preparing a
milk-based formulation of the invention, with a reduced carbohydrate content,
comprising removing carbohydrates from a milk raw material to provide the milkbased
formulation with a reduced carbohydrate content.
In an embodiment, the milk-based formulation is concentrated to
powder by an appropriate process, for example by spray drying.
In an embodiment, lactose is removed from the milk raw material by
precipitation. The precipitation can be performed in a manner commonly known
in the art. Precipitation of lactose allows to efficiently remove lactose from a milk
raw material while all the other milk components are substantially retained in a
desired manner.
In another embodiment, the lactose removal can be performed by
means of enzymatic reactions. Conventional enzymatic processes for splitting
lactose, or for conversion of lactose to derivatives, such as lactulose, lactitol,
lactobionic acid and their degradation products, are generally known in the field.
The process for splitting lactose comprising the step of adding lactase from fun
gus or yeast to milk in such a manner that lactose is split into monosaccharides,
i.e. glucose and galactose, in over 80%. Enzymes typically catalyse several
types of reactions, i.e. lactase both hydrolysis and transglucosylation reactions.
In still another embodiment, lactose is removed from the milk raw material
by chromatographic separation. The milk raw material is eluated through a
column filled with a cation exchange resin. The separation can be carried out so
that a significant portion of the proteins and minerals are collected into a single
fraction whereas lactose remains in the column.
In still another embodiment, lactose is removed from the milk raw material
by means of a membrane filtration technique. Use of membranes with d if
ferent cut-off values allows to efficiently separate the various milk components,
i.e. proteins, carbohydrates and minerals, from each other into different fractions.
If desired, various techniques mentioned above for lactose removal
can be combined in an appropriate manner.
Thus, in an aspect, the invention provides a process for preparing a
milk-based formulation of the invention, with a reduced carbohydrate content,
comprising
a) separating components of a milk raw material into a protein fraction,
carbohydrate fraction and mineral fraction,
b) combining at least a portion of the protein fraction and of the min
eral fraction to provide the milk-based formulation.
In an embodiment, the milk-based formulation prepared above is con
centrated to powder.
In dairy industry, ultrafiltration is typically used for separating the pro
teins and fat from lactose and minerals of milk. Prior to ultrafiltration, the fat co n
tent of milk can be standardized for example by separation. The milk proteins,
and any fat, remain in the ultrafiltration retentate whereas lactose and minerals
pass into a permeate. Ultrafiltration is typically carried out by a concentration
factor of 1 to 10 .
Lactose and the monovalent minerals, mainly sodium and potassi
um, present in the ultrafiltration permeate can be separated from each other by
nanofiltration. Lactose remains in a nanofiltration retentate, and the monovalent
minerals pass into a nanofiltration permeate. The concentration factor of nanofiltration
is typically in the range of 1 to 6 .
The nanofiltration permeate solution including the monovalent min
erals can be concentrated by reverse osmosis to provide a mineral concentrate
for use in the milk-based formulation of the invention. Reverse osmosis is gener
ally carried out by a concentration factor of 2 to 20.
In an embodiment, the dry matter content of the milk protein fraction
and/or the milk mineral fraction obtained from membrane filtrations can be in
creased by evaporation, for example to about 17%, and use the evaporated f rac
tion^) for the preparation of the milk-based formulation.
As stated above, precipitation of lactose from the milk raw material,
enzymatic lactose hydrolysis or conversion, and chromatographic lactose sepa
ration provide a milk-based formulation where all the other milk components ex
cept for lactose are retained in the composition. Membrane filtration technology
further provides the possibility to separate lactose and milk minerals, mainly
monovalent minerals, from each other and to separately compose an optimized
and tailor-made milk-based formulation of the invention from the protein and
mineral fractions.
In an embodiment, one or more of the milk component fractions are
separately concentrated to powder by an appropriate process and then used for
preparing the milk-based formulation of the invention with a desired composition.
In another embodiment, the milk-based formulation is first prepared from said fractions
in an appropriate manner and then dried to powder.
In a further aspect, the invention provides a use of milk powder having
a ratio of carbohydrates to protein of at most 1.1 and a protein content of at least
5.4% on dry matter basis for the preparation of a recombined milk product with a
reduced carbohydrate content. In an embodiment, a ratio of ash to protein is substantially
similar to that of a milk raw material used as a starting material. In an
embodiment, the protein content of the milk powder is at least 37%. In another
embodiment, the protein content is at least 45%.
In an embodiment, the recombined milk product is a milk beverage.
In an embodiment, the milk powder is the milk-based formulation of the
invention, or prepared by the process of the invention described above.
The amount of the milk powder in the recombined milk product is 0.5
to 15% by weight, preferably 2 to 7% by weight.
In still a further aspect, the invention provides a process for producing
a recombined milk product having a reduced carbohydrate content, comprising
recombining milk powder having a ratio of carbohydrates to protein of
at most 1.1 and a protein content of at least 5.4% on dry matter basis, and a liq
uid and optional other ingredients to provide the recombined milk product with a
reduced carbohydrate content. In an embodiment, the protein content of the milk
powder is at least 37%. In another embodiment, the protein content is at least
45%.
The process of the invention may be applied to an industrial largescale
production or to a small-scale production in households.
The lactose content of the recombined milk product is at most 3.1 %
by weight.
The milk powder can be recombined in a liquid which can be water, a
milk raw material, plant (vegetable) origin material, or a mixture thereof. In an
embodiment, the recombined milk is prepared so as correspond to composition
of normal skim milk except for reduced carbohydrates. In an embodiment of the
invention, an ash to protein ratio of the recombined milk product is similar to that
of normal skim milk. In an embodiment, ash is provided as milk-based minerals
in the recombined milk product. The composition of the recombined milk product
can be adjusted to correspond to that of normal skim milk except for reduced
carbohydrates by combining the milk powder and liquid without any further add i
tives, like mineral supplement. However, also milk-based minerals can be added
to the recombined milk product.
The recombined milk product of the invention can be supplemented
with ingredients typically used in milk product. Optional ingredients include edible
fat, like milk fat or vegetable fat such as rapeseed oil, fractionated palm oil or
coconut oil, vitamins, minerals, fibre, probiotics, flavours.
In an embodiment, the recombined milk product is prepared by recombining
powder 1 of the invention with skim milk and water. In another em
bodiment, the recombined milk product is prepared by recombining 2.4% of
powder 1, 54% of skim milk and 43.6% of water.
In an embodiment, the recombined milk product is subjected to a heat
treatment. The heat treatment can be performed, for example, at a temperature
of 153°C for 4 seconds.
If desired, any residual lactose present in the recombined milk product
is subjected to lactose hydrolysis and/or conversion. The lactose hydrolysis and/or
conversion can be performed with commercially available lactase enzymes in a
manner known per se. In an embodiment, the lactose content of the recombined
milk product is less than 1% by weight, generally designated as a low lactose milk
beverage. In another embodiment, the lactose content is less than 0.01 % by
weight, generally designated as a lactose-free milk beverage.
Lactose hydrolysis can be performed on the recombined milk product
which has been heat treated in a manner described above, or on the recombined
milk product which is subsequently subjected to the heat treatment. In an embod
iment, the lactose hydrolysis is performed after the heat treatment.
The furosine content of the recombined milk beverages prepared ac
cording to the invention were measured before and after the heat treatment of
the beverages. The furosine content was compared to that of skim milk (beverage
6) and a recombined skim milk prepared by recombining conventional skim
milk powder and water (beverage 7), which were used as references. The furo
sine contents of the beverages prepared from the milk compositions of the in
vention were lower than that of the reference recombined skim milk both before
and after the heat treatment. Specifically, in milk beverages prepared by recombining
the milk composition of the invention and water, or a mixture of skim milk
and water, the furosine contents were significantly lower than that of the reference
recombined skim milk. This indicates that the Maillard reaction is efficiently
suppressed even in heat-treated recombined milk beverages. In an embodiment,
the furosine content of the recombined milk product of the invention is at most
0.61 mg/g protein prior to heat treatment of the product. In another embodiment,
the furosine content of the recombined milk product of the invention is at most
0.92 mg/g protein after heat treatment of the product.
The organoleptic properties of the recombined milk product prepared
according to the invention unexpectedly keep at room temperature even during a
long storage. The process is easy to perform in production conditions without
significant extra costs.
The following examples are presented for further illustration of the in
vention without limiting the invention thereto.
Examples
Example 1
Skim milk was ultrafiltered with a GR61 PP membrane (Dow, USA) at
a temperature of 10°C and with a concentration factor of 4 to provide an ultraf il
tration (UF) permeate and an ultrafiltration (UF) retentate. The UF permeate was
further nanofiltered with a Desal DK membrane (Osmonics, USA) at tempera
tures from 10°C to 15°C and with a concentration factor of 4 to provide a nanofiltration
(NF) permeate and a nanofiltration (NF) retentate. The NF permeate was
concentrated by reverse osmosis (RO) with a Filmtec RO-390-FF membrane
(Dow, USA) and with a concentration factor of about 10 to provide an RO per
meate and RO retentate.
The RO retentate was evaporated to a dry matter content of 17%.
The compositions of the milk raw material, i.e. skim milk, the UF re
tentate and permeate, the RO retentate, and the evaporated RO retentate are
given in Table 1 below.
Table 1.
The evaporated RO retentate (700 kg) and the UF retentate (10 000 kg)
were mixed together and evaporated to a dry matter concent of 33% to 40%.
The resultant mixture was dried to powder (powder 1) with a corresponding heat
treatment of the conventional low-heat milk powder.
The UF retentate obtained from ultrafiltration of skim milk was evapo
rated and dried to powder (powder 2) with a corresponding heat treatment of the
conventional low-heat milk powder.
The compositions of powder 1 and powder 2 are given in Table 2 be
low.
Table 2. Compositions of powder 1 and powder 2
Example 2
Skim milk was ultrafiltered in a manner described in Example 1 except
that the concentration factor was 1.6 to provide an UF retentate.
Cheese whey was nanofiltered with a Desal DK membrane (Osmonics,
USA) at a temperature < 15°C and with a concentration factor of 4.5 to pro
vide a nanofiltration (NF) permeate and a nanofiltration (NF) retentate. The NF
permeate was concentrated by reverse osmosis (RO) as described in Example
1. The RO retentate obtained was evaporated to a dry matter content of 17.5%.
The compositions of the UF retentate, the cheese whey, the RO re
tentate, and the evaporated RO retentate are given in Table 3 below.
Table 3.
The UF retentate of skim milk (10 000 kg) and the evaporated RO re
tentate of cheese whey (120 kg) were mixed together and evaporated and dried
to powder (powder 3) as described in Example 1. The composition of powder 3
is given in Table 4 below.
Table 4.
Example 3
Skim milk was evaporated to provide a milk concentrate with a dry
matter content of 30%. The milk concentrate was pumped to a chromatography
column filled with a cation exchange resin. Skim milk eluated through the cation
exchange resin was collected so that a significant portion of milk minerals and
proteins were in the same fraction. When the collection of fractions was com
pleted, a significant portion of lactose still remained in the chromatography co l
umn. The chromatographic separation was performed at a temperature of about
60°C.
The fraction obtained from the chromatographic separation was dried
to powder (powder 4) as described in Example 1.
The composition of the collected fraction from chromatography and
powder 4 are given in Table 5 below.
Table 5.
Example 4
Various milk beverages were prepared from the fractions and pow
ders obtained in Examples 1 to 3 . The specific recipes are given in Table 7. The
numerical values illustrate percentages of each fraction in the recipe.
In addition to said fractions and powders, milk and low-heat milk pow
der were used in the preparation of the beverages. Their compositions are given
in Table 6 .
Table 6.
Table 7.
Powder Powder Powder Powder Skim Low Water RO ret UF ret (Ex
1 2 3 4 milk heat ample 1)
milk
powder
Beverage 1 2.4 54.0 43.6
Beverage 2 2.4 54.0 42.7 0.9
Beverage 3 7.1 92.9
Beverage 4 2.4 54.0 43.6
Beverage 5 2.4 5.4 92.2
Beverage 6 100
(reference)
Beverage 7 9.0 9 1.0
(reference)
Beverage 8 2.0 60.0 38.0
Beverage 9 54.0 33.4 0.9 11.9
The beverages were pasteurized with a direct steam infusion UHT (ul
tra high temperature) equipment (APV, Denmark) at a temperature of 153°C for
4 seconds. The beverages were packed aseptically. Prior to packing, 0.03% by
weight of lactase (Godo YNL2, Oenon, Japan) was added aseptically to the beverages.
The milk beverages were lactose-free after one week storage. The com
position of the above nine beverages are given in Table 8 .
Table 8.
The beverages having a temperature of about 15°C were evaluated
in their organoleptic properties after about one week after preparation thereof.
Results of the evaluation are given in Table 9 . The organoleptic properties
were compared to normal skim milk (beverage 6) including natural lactose content.
Table 9.
All the beverages 1 to 9 were prepared so as to have a protein co n
tent to a desired level, i.e., about 3.3% (Table 8). Thus, the other results of the
beverages are comparable and reliable. It can be seen from the results shown
in Table 8 that the furosine content of reference beverage 7 which is a recombined
milk beverage produced from skim milk powder alone is significantly
higher than that of the other beverages. The lowest furosine level is achieved
in beverage 6 which is normal skim milk having a reduced fat content but a
natural lactose content, and beverage 9 which is composed from skim milk,
water, UF retentate and RO retentate. Surprisingly, only a slight increase in
furosine contents of the other beverages compared to beverages 6 and 9 is
detected although said other beverages were all prepared from proteincontaining
powders of milk. Also the furosine contents of beverages 3 and 5
are substantially lower than that of beverage 7 although beverages 3, 5 and 7
are all prepared from water and milk-based powders.
As to the taste of the beverages, the most similar to normal UHTtreated
skim milk were beverages 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, and 9 . Taste of beverage 4 was
similar to that of normal milk except that it was slightly watery. The biggest deviations
in taste were found in beverages 6 and 7 which were notably sweet
and did not correspond in their properties to normal UHT-treated milk.
Moreover, each beverage 2 to 9 except 5 was further prepared by
supplementing them with cream (38%) to provide a fat content of 1.5% to the
beverage.
Powder 1 according to Example 1 was prepared from milk by ultrafiltering
milk containing fat 3.1 % and drying the UF-retentate to powder which
was used in similar manner as powder 1 in the preparation of beverages 1 and
5 . Beverages 1 and 5 had fat content of 1.5%.
The results obtained for each 1.5% fat containing beverage were
similar to those shown in Table 9 except that the watery taste of beverage 4
could be partly masked by fattiness.
Quality of the beverages was controlled organoleptically for 6 months
and no significant changes were obtained.
The results show that a lactose-free milk beverage of the invention,
prepared from powder 1 produced in Example 1 has a better taste than the
recombined milk prepared from normal skim milk powder (beverage 7; refer
ence). Moreover, the furosine content of the beverage of the invention is sub
stantially lower than that of the reference milk. Moreover, surprisingly, the taste
and texture remained better in the beverage of the invention than in the normal
UHT-treated skim milk.
It will be obvious to a person skilled in the art that, as the technology
advances, the inventive concept can be implemented in various ways. The in
vention and its embodiments are not limited to the examples described above
but may vary within the scope of the claims.
CLAIMS
1. A milk-based formulation with a reduced carbohydrate content,
having a ratio of carbohydrates to protein of at most 1.1 , a protein content of at
least 5.4% on dry matter basis, and a ratio of ash to protein is substantially
similar to that of a milk raw material used as a starting material.
2 . The milk-based formulation of claim 1, wherein the ratio of carbo
hydrates to protein is at most 0.9.
3 . The milk-based formulation of claim 2, wherein the ratio of carbohydrates
to protein is at most 0.4.
4 . The milk-based formulation of any of the preceding claims,
wherein the ratio of carbohydrates to protein is at least 0.02.
5 . The milk-based formulation of any of the preceding claims,
wherein the protein content is 5.4 to 80% on dry matter basis.
6 . The milk-based formulation of any of the preceding claims,
wherein a ratio of the monovalent minerals to protein is substantially similar to
that of the milk raw material.
7 . The milk-based formulation of any of the preceding claims, which
is powder.
8 . The milk-based formulation of any of the preceding claims, com
prising a milk protein concentrate from ultrafiltration of the milk raw material.
9 . The milk-based formulation of claim 8, comprising a reverse os
mosis concentrate of milk minerals obtained from a nanofiltration permeate
derived from nanofiltration of an ultrafiltration permeate of the milk raw material.
10 . The milk-based formulation of any of claims 1 to 7, comprising a
fraction comprising protein and minerals from chromatographic separation of
the milk raw material.
11. The milk-based formulation of any of the preceding claims,
comprising 5.4 to 65% protein, 4.6 to 4 1% carbohydrates, and 1.0 to 14% ash
on non-fat total solid basis.
12 . The milk-based formulation of claim 11, comprising about 48 to
60% protein, about 24 to 43% carbohydrates, and about 10 to 13% ash.
13 . A process for preparing a milk-based formulation with a reduced
carbohydrate content of any of claims 1 to 12, comprising removing carbohydrates
from a milk raw material to provide the milk-based formulation with a
reduced carbohydrate content.
14. The process of claim 13, wherein the milk-based formulation is
concentrated to powder.
15 . The process of claim 13 or 14, wherein the removal is performed
by means of enzymes, chromatography, precipitation, or a combination thereof.
16 . A process for preparing a milk-based formulation with a reduced
carbohydrate content of any of claims 1 to 12, comprising
a) separating components of a milk raw material into a protein fraction,
carbohydrate fraction and mineral fraction,
b) combining at least a portion of the protein fraction and of the min
eral fraction to provide the milk-based formulation.
17 . The process of claim 16, wherein the separation is accom
plished by ultrafiltration, nanofiltration and reverse osmosis.
18 . The process of claim 17, wherein the milk raw material is sub
jected to ultrafiltration (UF) to provide an UF permeate, and the protein fraction
as an UF retentate.
19 . The process of claim 18, wherein the ultrafiltration permeate is
subjected to nanofiltration (NF) to provide a NF permeate, and the carbohydrate
fraction as a NF retentate, and the NF permeate is subjected to reverse
osmosis (RO) to provide the mineral fraction as an RO retentate.
20. The process of any of claims 16 to 19, wherein one or both of
the protein fraction and the mineral fraction is concentrated to a dry matter
content of at least 17%.
2 1. The process of any of claims 16 to 20, wherein the milk-based
formulation is concentrated to powder.
22. A use of milk powder having a ratio of carbohydrates to protein
of at most 1.1 and a protein content of at least 5.4% on dry matter basis for the
preparation of a recombined milk product with a reduced carbohydrate content.
23. The use of claim 22 milk powder, wherein the protein content is
at least 37% on dry matter basis.
24. The use of claim 23, wherein the protein content is at least 45%
on dry matter basis.
25. The use of any of claims 22 to 24, wherein the milk powder is a
milk-based formulation of any of claims 1 to 12 or prepared by any of claim 13
26. The use of any claims 22 or 25, wherein the recombined milk
product is a milk beverage.
27. The use of any of claims 22 to 26, wherein the amount of the
milk powder in the recombined milk product is 0.5 to 15% by weight, preferably
2 to 7% by weight.
28. A process for producing a recombined milk product having a re
duced carbohydrate content, comprising
recombining milk powder having a ratio of carbohydrates to protein
of at most 1.1 and a protein content of at least 5.4% on dry matter basis, and a
liquid and optional other ingredients to provide the recombined milk product
with a reduced carbohydrate content.
29. The process of claim 28, wherein the recombined milk is a bev
erage.
30. The process of claim 28 or 29, wherein the carbohydrate content
of the recombined milk product is at most 3.1 % by weight.
3 1. The process of any of claims 28 to 30, wherein the recombined
milk product is subjected to a heat treatment.
32. The process of any of claims 28 or 3 1 , wherein any residual lac
tose of the recombined milk product is hydrolysed.
33. The process of any of claims 32, wherein any residual lactose of
the recombined milk product is hydrolysed after the heat treatment.
34. The process of any of claims 28 to 33, wherein the organoleptic
properties of the recombined milk product is similar to that of skim milk.