Going beyond protein

Cheese — always a source of protein, as it is casein that coagulates to make the curd — is usually added to baked goods for flavor not nutrition. Glanbia Nutritionals recently introduced freeze-dried cheese. This shelf-stable, nutrient-packed dairy ingredient delivers cheddar or mozzarella cheese when hydrated. It’s versatile enough to be used in snacks, bars and instant foods such as grain and cereal cups. It is high in protein, rich in calcium, lightweight and portable.

Dairyvative Technologies patented a process that removes water from gently pasteurized fresh milk to make a super-concentrated form that does not need refrigeration. When the water is added back, it tastes like fresh milk.


When concentrating fresh milk, evaporation technologies can remove up to 80% of the water. At this point, the lactose crystallizes, and the product essentially becomes unworkable. As a concentrate, it’s highly susceptible to bacterial spoilage, needs refrigeration and has a relatively short shelf life. Dairyvative’s process allows the removal of up to 95% of the water to produce a milk concentrate with a honey-like consistency that can be pumped, packaged and reconstituted.

At a specific point during the milk concentration process, the evaporation process is stopped, and the lactose is hydrolyzed into its constituent sugars — glucose and galactose — making it slightly sweeter than regular milk. After this, the concentration process is completed by reducing the water content of the final, now lactose-free, super-concentrated milk to the point that spoilage bacteria growth is stopped. It is packaged aseptically to create a shelf-stable product ready for shipment. The concentrate comes in a variety of fat levels and can be used in recipes where milk or cream are used.