Whey protein heat stability by MEGA ED

Highly efficient electrodialysis for the dairy industry to gain thermostable WPC/WPI

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Using MEGA special ED, you obtain thermostable WPC/WPI that meets the regulations for organic (BIO) labeling.

Whey protein concentrates thermostability by ED

Why choose MEGA electrodialysis

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Advantages of using MEGA electrodialysis for WPC and WPI heat stability

Innovated technology for thermostable whey protein concentrate

Highly profitable product

Suitable for organic food production

Reduced operating costs

MEGA offers special electrodialysis technology, to remove multivalent cations, that cause low thermal resistivity of proteins and their aggregation and denaturation. Using MEGA technology, whey protein concentrates and isolates (WPC, WPI) show significantly increased thermostability.

Increased thermostability of WPC and WPI reduces protein loss on heat exchanger surfaces caused by fouling, extends the time between CIPs of heat exchange equipment, and reduces the amount of chemicals per wash, hence reducing the amount of wastewater.

Thermostable WPC and WPI can be used in more stringent heat treatment regimens to ensure food quality and extend the shelf life, e.g., sports nutrition, baby food, food for special medical purposes, etc.

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New challenge for whey protein concentrates thermostability

What is the issue with the thermostability of WPC

Whey protein concentrates (WPC) have excellent nutritional properties and are gaining increasing attention from nutritionists and food manufacturers alike.

The thermostability of proteins is defined as their ability to resist irreversible changes in their chemical or physical structure due to heat. Thanks to MEGA technology you can avoid such changes and obtain a product that opens new perspectives on the market.

In the dairy industry, the low stability of whey proteins to further heat treatment is a major processing problem.

The thermostability of whey protein is essential for products where the manufacturing process requires dissolution of the WPC/WPI powder and subsequent heat treatment before further processing. This applies, for example, to the production of liquid products for sports nutrition, baby food, etc.

Electrodialysis as a key to thermostable whey protein concentrate

Heat treatment of whey protein at temperatures above 70 °C causes denaturation, which subsequently leads to protein aggregation. This may result in excessive thickening or gelling of the dairy product during processing and later during storage. This problem is critical for long shelf-life (sterilized) foods

Using MEGA's special electrodialysis significantly increases the thermal stability of whey protein concentrates. Compared to common production technologies, thanks to this process, you get the WPC or WPI with better properties while keeping the same OPEX.

Boost your dairy business with MEGA special ED

Why use MEGA electrodialysis

MEGA presents an innovative ED technology to reduce denaturation and aggregation of whey proteins during heating and to produce heat-stable whey protein products.

MEGA’s special ED successfully removes the cations, such as Ca²⁺, and Mg²⁺ from the feed, and therefore improves the heat stability of the final product.

Reducing calcium content is very important when creating milk-based and/or whey-based media for starter culture growth. A low calcium content makes it possible to significantly or completely eliminate the possibility of phage formation in the production of starter and fermented products.

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Benefits of MEGA Electrodialysis in WPC heat stability

The main advantages of thermostabilizing WPC and WPI by MEGA electrodialysis are:

Efficient removal of multivalent cations prevents protein aggregation.
Additive-free technology - fully organic products.
Huge reduction of unit operation steps (technology complexity).
Suitable to produce organic food.
Cost-effective, reliable.
Customers tailor-made capacity solutions (allows to grow/invest along with demand).
Broad assistance network worldwide.

Applications of WPC thermostabilized by MEGA electrodialysis

MEGA electrodialysis technology is suitable for producers, who use whey protein concentrate for further products:

infant formulas (no flocculation and coagulation),
sports nutrition, food for special medical purposes, dietary foods,
fortified dairy products,
essential for GO protein drinks with extended shelf life and higher protein content,
use in food formulations as a water binder when heated,
other applications with specific thermostable WPC demand.

Essential use of thermostable proteins
The main use of thermostable proteins is nutritional dietary protein supplements. Thermostable WPC is particularly suitable for hospitals, where it is given in liquid form as a dietary supplement in follow-up care in the treatment of chronic inflammatory bowel disease, protein malnutrition in people over 50 years of age, sarcopenia, and in severe type 2 diabetes, where it reduces insulin resistance.
Products based on thermostable WPC are also used in special food for continuing children’s nutrition.

MEGA ED vs competitive commercial technology

The main advantages of MEGA technology compared to our competitors are higher yields and fewer processing steps.

Simple implementation to the already existing manufacturing lines.

The MEGA electrodialysis technology has lower consumption of chemicals for the process (without regeneration of ion exchange columns) and CIP. And at the same time, it shows a significant reduction of drainage from the production.

This reduces the footprint of the entire technology for whey protein concentrate heat stability. In general, special electrodialysis is an automatic system that is easy to operate and maintain, and it significantly reduces the environmental impact.