Processing applications for lactose-free milk and milk drinks
Consumers are increasingly aware of the digestive syndrome known as lactose intolerance – and are increasingly prioritizing gut health and well-being. They are looking for a wide range of products that support their well-being. This is driving an increase in demand for lactose-free dairy products* worldwide.
*The rules for designating lactose-free and lactose-reduced food products vary between countries. They must be checked in each case by the food producer based on the recipe, technology applied, quality control testing procedures and food product positioning.
Tetra Pak expertise
To meet the shifting consumer demands and stay competitive, you can produce a wide range of lactose-free products – with the right taste profile and composition for your markets. Whether your consumers prefer a neutral or sweeter taste, we have the know-how to give you expert support in formulation and recipe testing. And we have the technology to build line solutions that give you consistent, high product quality over a longer shelf life while optimizing throughput to cut costs and environmental impact.
Best-practice lines for lactose-free milk and milk drinks
Lactose-free milk drinks with sweet taste profile
The easiest way to produce lactose-free milk is to simply add lactase. That splits the lactose into glucose and galactose and results in a sweeter tasting milk, since both glucose and galactose have a higher sweetness index than lactose. To achieve the most cost-efficient and flexible production – and a stable product over a longer shelf-life – our optimal line solution adds lactase after the final heat treatment.
Lactose-free milk drinks with neutral taste profile
In many markets, consumers prefer a neutral taste profile that is more like regular milk. To achieve this, our optimal line solution removes part of the lactose, before adding lactase. Whatever taste profile you need, we have the know-how and technology to secure safe, cost-efficient production with low environmental impact.