- Lactose is a sugar
which is found most notably in milk. Lactose makes up around 2–8% of
milk.
- Its systematic name
is β-D-galactopyranosyl-β-D-glucopyranose.
- Lactose is a
disaccharide that consists of β-D-galactose and β-D-glucose fragments
bonded through a β1-4 glycosidic linkage.
- Lactose is a
carbohydrate and contributes approximately 4 calories per
gram.
- Lactose is
commercially available as spray-dried lactose and crystalline
lactose.
- Lactose is a
disaccharide carbohydrate which is only produced as part of the milk of
mammals and as a storage carbohydrate in the seeds of a few
plants.
- Food-grade lactose
is produced from fresh sweet whey by crystallizing an oversaturated
solution of whey or permeate and drying it into a powder.
- Special
processes of crystallization, grinding, fractionation and sifting
produce types of lactose that differ from each other in particle size
and distribution.
- The first major
application of lactose was as a Penicillium growth medium for the
production of penicillin.
- Today, lactose is
widely used in the food and confectionery industries since it has a low
sweetness (30% that of sucrose), binds flavours and aromas and increases
the storage life of products.
- Lactose is used in
preparing baked goods as it will undergo the Maillard reaction with
proteins and thus produce a browning effect.
- As human milk
contains 7% lactose , lactose is added to cow's milk in the preparation
of infant formula.
- Today, lactose is
widely used in the food and confectionery industries since it has a low
sweetness, binds flavours and aromas and increases the storage life of
products.
- α-lactose is also
used for the production of various other compounds. These include
lactitol (in diabetic products, low calorie sweeteners and slimming
products), lactic acid (widely used in the food industry), and lactulose
(a lactose isomer, used by the food industry).
- Lactose derivatives
such as lactulose, lactitol alongside galactooligosaccharides are
showing interesting new application opportunities and significant annual
growth rates.
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