Abstract #569

# 569
Industry perspective on managing quality and yield of lactose: From food to pharmaceutical grade.
A. Kent Keller*1, 1Keller Technologies Inc, Mantorville, MN.

Lactose has been commercially produced since the early part of the twentieth century. Worldwide production increased phenomenally in the 1940s when it was found that lactose was the best substrate for penicillin production. Further increases in lactose production resulted when mothers started to use infant formula, which contains lactose as the major constituent. Late in the twentieth century, confectioners found many reasons to use crystalline lactose in chocolates. Today chocolates are second only to infant formulae as the major use of lactose. In this presentation, the author shares some of his 40 years of experience operating and designing commercial-scale lactose production systems. Each unit operation for lactose production is discussed with a focus of how each unit operation can affect lactose quality and yield. The following unit operations are covered: raw material supply, concentration (RO and evaporation), crystallization, refining, drying and packaging. Particular attention will be given to the current state of the art, which is not typically covered in various textbooks. Finally, a review of traditional and new methods for producing pharmaceutical grade lactose are discussed.

Key Words: lactose, lactose production

Speaker Bio
A. Kent Keller has been working on whey processing since 1972, first in graduate research and then in industrial research.  Mr. Keller was the production manager of a large-scale whey processing plant for three years producing whey protein concentrates and lactose.  In 1980, Mr. Keller founded Whey Systems, Inc. to provide assistance to cheese factories in the processing of their whey.  In 2000, Mr. Keller sold his and has served as a consultant to the buyer.  In 2014, Mr. Keller resumed providing lactose technology and equipment directly to various dairy factories.
 
Mr. Keller received his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Arizona in 1965.  After working four years in the chemical industry and three years as a Peace Corps volunteer, Mr. Keller studied at Michigan State University receiving a master’s degree in microbiology.  In 2000, Mr. Keller was the recipient of the American Dairy Products Institute’s prestigious Award of Merit for his international contributions to the development of lactose manufacturing.