The effect of soluble soybean polysaccharide addition to permeate concentrate on lactose crystallisation, growth and recovery during lactose manufacturing

Lactose is manufactured from permeates of cheese whey, milk protein concentrate and a mix of both using a crystallisation process. Several factors, such as solute supersaturation, cooling rate and impurities, influence lactose crystallisation. This study focussed on the effect of soluble soybean polysaccharides (SSPS) on crystallisation during lactose manufacture from concentrated permeate solutions by evaluating lactose crystal growth and recovery with and without SSPS addition. Adding 0.1% (w/w) SSPS resulted in a significant difference ( P > 0.05) in lactose crystal size and yield. The results suggest that using SSPS during lactose manufacturing from permeate concentrates could influence lactose crystallisation and recovery.