Development of an efficient method for obtaining lactose and lactulose from whey

Abstract

Taking into account a wide range of lactulose application in pharmaceutics, baby food production and other fields, along with the importance of technological solutions for its extraction from milk whey, the presented work was carried out to obtain lactulose in one cycle with simultaneous alkaline treatment and desalting of whey by the electromembrane method. Based on the data obtained, an effective method for obtaining a protein concentrate, lactose, and its isomer – lactulose from whey has been developed. The processes of pre-treatment and desalting of milk whey by the electromembrane method were studied and the optimal parameters for the processes implementation were determined. The curves of changes in the concentration of inorganic ions in whey in the desalination process, depending on the degree of demineralization, were plotted.