Davisco increases Alpha-lactalbumin capacity 10x

Davisco has completed a significant increase in production capacity of Alpha-lactalbumin at the Jerome Cheese facility in Jerome, Idaho, with the potential Alpha-lactalbumin volume from Jerome Cheese increasing tenfold. Davisco says that its unique product is isolated to over 90% Alpha-lactalbumin, the highest purity commercially available. The new isolation expansion of Alpha-lactalbumin is, according to the […]

Davisco has completed a significant increase in production capacity of Alpha-lactalbumin at the Jerome Cheese facility in Jerome, Idaho, with the potential Alpha-lactalbumin volume from Jerome Cheese increasing tenfold. Davisco says that its unique product is isolated to over 90% Alpha-lactalbumin, the highest purity commercially available. The new isolation expansion of Alpha-lactalbumin is, according to the company, an engineering marvel that required a substantial capital investment to complete. Davisco says that its Alpha-lactalbumin has a strong worldwide demand because of the exceptional purity and the levels of the amino acid tryptophan, which is sought for use in nutritional beverages and infant formulas.

Davisco notes that it has always been driven by high quality and high purity, and to achieve these ambitious standards the expansion project team comprised a diverse team of experts, both internal and external who developed novel processing solutions. The Alpha-lactalbumin plant expansion is claimed to be an industry-leading achievement of pioneering engineering and whey protein science expertise.

“This proprietary alpha isolation process was developed, designed, scaled up and ultimately built by our internal R&D and engineers,” said Mike Klein, director of whey operations. “The end result is a unique and functional commercial process that not only produces alpha at a purity and scale never seen before, but is also sustainable.”

Davisco’s Alpha-lactalbumin is isolated from bovine milk to the highest purity available worldwide, the company says. Davisco’s Alpha-lactalbumin uses proprietary technical advancements developed by Davisco to precisely isolate alpha-lactalbumin in a full scale commercial production facility. Alpha-lactalbumin is the primary protein in human milk and is critical for infant nutrition. Alpha-lactalbumin is the richest source of natural tryptophan, the precursor to the neurotransmitter, serotonin.

“Davisco has always been on the cutting edge of protein separation technology in our Protein Technology Center in Le Sueur, MN, and to see the successful high volume commercialization of what has become our centerpiece product is very rewarding,” said Jon Davis, president, Davisco Foods.  “High-purity Alpha-lactalbumin will revolutionize our whey protein capability, allowing us to partner with customers in developing new products for the infant formula industry. This will naturally lead to our next generation of products, which are well on their way to commercialization.”