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Elevating lactose and derivatives through innovative processes and applications

Lactose is seeking groundbreaking technologies capable of unlocking the full potential of lactose (including lactose, whey permeate, and de-lactose permeate/mother liquor), transcending its current commoditized state. This may encompass processes that convert lactose into highly sought-after compounds, the creation of high-value products that incorporate lactose or its derivatives, and the innovation of novel derivatives accompanied by scalable production methods and promising market prospects.

 Solutions of interest:

  • Applications for galactose or galactose-derived products
  • Applications for lactobionic acid and/or its salts
  • Applications for lactose-based hydrogels
  • Applications for lactose-based ingredients (e.g., cosmetics, medical applications, etc.
  • Applications for lactulose
  • Applications for polylactose
  • Bioactive compounds for food preservation
  • Chemical, mechanical, enzymatic, electrochemcial conversion of lactose to compounds of interest in materials and polymer chemistry.
  • Fermentation of lactose into value-added compounds (i.e., materials/polymer chemistry)
  • Functional additives for industrial coatings
  • Use of lactose derivatives to replace ingredients used in ultra-processed foods

Must-have requirements:

  • For a new market opportunity, the potential to utilize a minimum of 13,000 tonnes (~28.6 million pounds) of lactose or lactose-derivatives per year
  • For process-based solutions, demonstration of technical feasibility (lab-scale validation or pilot data)
  • For process-based solutions, the potential for scalable production
  • In your proposed solution lactose should have a differentiated advantage over other cheap carbohydrates (i.e., glucose)

What's out of scope:

  • Ethanol production applications
  • Galacto-oligosaccharides
  • Poly-lactic acid
  • Traditional dairy applications (e.g., lactose-free products