Arla Foods extends patented milk fractionation technology to organic infant formula

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Arla Foods Ingredients (Viby J, Denmark) is now offering its patented milk fractionation technology to the infant formula industry. The new process, introduced last year, allows infant-formula manufacturers to create organic infant formulas while sidestepping supply challenges facing organic whey and lactose ingredients.

The patented technology eliminates the cheese-making process that would otherwise be used to create these ingredients—a process that traditionally also required a substantial amount of organic raw milk.

Arla’s new process, which it has named “Origin by Arla Foods Ingredients,” helps companies avoid the organic whey supply shortages happening in the world “by drawing on an unconstrained supply of milk from Arla’s organic farms, the largest organic milk pool in the world,” the company said in a press release. This is important to infant-formula makers because demand for organic infant formula is high.

As the company’s press release explains, “Origin by Arla Foods Ingredients is a patented process which extracts proteins directly from fresh milk using filtration technology. This ‘milk-to-can’ approach is based on a simple, fully integrated process at one dedicated production site with no use of additives in the milk streams, reducing production complexity and time from milk to can. The breakthrough technology was first introduced in November 2021.”

Steen Lyck, commercial director, child nutrition manufacturing, Arla Foods Ingredients, added in a press release: “Origin by Arla Foods Ingredients is a significant step forward for infant-formula brand owners. With our patented technology that obtains ingredients from fresh, organic milk at consistently higher quality, infant-formula brand owners can finally capture the exciting potential of premium organic infant formula. In terms of certifications, our organic infant formula already has EU and Chinese organic approvals.”

One of Arla’s goals is to “fill” gaps in the market for natural, organic protein ingredients, it says. For instance, August 2020 marked the start of the company’s efforts with the launch of its MicelPure organic micellar casein isolate, its first organic ingredient.

Infant formulas made with the new technology will be produced at the company’s Arinco plant in Videbaek, Denmark. The plant will manufacture both custom formulas and private-label formulas and base powders. The farms supplying the milk are Arla’s own organic farms.