Arla Foods Ingredients’ Functional Milk Protein Business Unit Has a Habit of Making the Impossible Possible

The FMP business unit’s strong involvement in unearthing these possibilities has brought with it a clear understanding, not only of how FMP works, but also how the individual proteins are influenced by various food manufacturing processes.

20/01/09 A global organisation topped off by the recent completion of a new modern plant in Argentina makes functional milk proteins (FMP) from Arla Foods Ingredients widely accessible to international food manufacturers. And, as the vast majority of manufacturers are primarily concerned with either improving their products or production processes or cutting costs, that’s no bad situation to be in.

The FMP business unit has spent years and considerable resources on developing the expertise and products a large number of food companies rely on today. Whether optimising the yield of meat and fish products, giving cheese and fermented products the desired texture and stability, or cutting the cost of dressings, functional milk proteins shine as a multifaceted and entirely natural solution.

Not just a product

Business unit manager Arnd Wilmsen prides himself on the worldwide FMP team’s ability to fulfil individual customer needs, drawing on the two application centres in Denmark and Argentina. "We do not merely supply a product. When a customer has a problem - be it technical, concerning a bacteria culture, the addition of fruit and so on - we are there to help, whether the problem is related to our product or not."

Total confidentiality surrounds each customer project, providing manufacturers with the assurance that their personal solutions will not later end up in the hands of a competitor.

Based on both milk and whey, FMP covers a vast range of functional properties, many of which have only been discovered in recent years. The FMP business unit’s strong involvement in unearthing these possibilities has brought with it a clear understanding, not only of how FMP works, but also how the individual proteins are influenced by various food manufacturing processes. "That equips us to determine which FMP is best for a specific application," Arnd Wilmsen explains. "We have also developed FMP products that enable manufacturers to satisfy local preferences, such as ensuring yogurt has the right structure and taste for a particular region."

Proactive approach

Often the FMP team does not wait for customers to come to them. Ongoing research means new developments are made all the time, enabling a proactive approach to customers and helping them become the first on the market with innovative ideas. Not only new FMP products emerge from this research commitment. Original processes are developed, too, putting the FMP range to work in new ways that bring food manufacturers even more benefits.

"Some 75% of our discussions with customers are about new products or product improvements," says Arnd Wilmsen. "The fact is our products typically make food processing cheaper by replacing other more expensive ingredients or by making processes better and faster.