Lactose: Use, measurement, and expression of results

摘要

Lactose has different uses in the dairy, food, andpharmaceutical industries. Being aware of the differentforms of lactose and their concentrations can be veryhelpful in managing dairy product quality, properties,and manufacturing efficiency. Correct measurementand reporting of lactose concentration in milk andother dairy products will be of increased importancein the future as more value-added uses of lactose aredeveloped and as milk lactose data are used in farmmanagement decision making. Lactose should be reportedas anhydrous lactose because lactose data willbe used to make increasingly important decisions indairy processing, dairy product labeling, and milk productionin the future. Lactose also plays an importantrole in milk synthesis within a cow. Milk productionfactors and dairy cattle breed selection influence theamount of high value fat and protein produced per unitof lactose. If the off-farm value of lactose remains low,more attention may be focused on using ultrafiltrationto process milk and leave 50 to 60% of the lactose andwater from milk at the farm to recover the energy valueof the lactose as feed and reduce the hauling cost of thehigh value components of milk to a dairy product manufacturingfactory. Many methods exist to determinelactose concentration, but the most important methodsare enzymatic assays, HPLC, and mid-infrared analysis.New, value-added uses for lactose need to be developed.Consistent and accurate methods of lactose measurementand consistent expression of lactose results willsupport this development process. Starting in January2017, the USDA Federal Milk Market Laboratoriesbegan reporting lactose content of milk as anhydrouslactose and discontinued the reporting of lactose bydifference.