Arla to Boost Supplies of “Gold Standard” Whey Protein

02 Sep 2014 --- Arla Foods Ingredients is investing €38 million in a new factory in Denmark to meet booming demand for whey protein hydrolysates. The investment will further strengthen the company’s position as a global leader in natural whey ingredients.

The whey protein factory is scheduled to be fully operational towards the end of 2016. The new factory will increase three-fold Arla Foods Ingredients’ capacity to produce whey protein hydrolysates, a ‘gold standard’ form of whey that offers superior benefits compared with intact proteins, and has applications in the infant, sports and clinical nutrition categories.

Speaking to FoodIngredientsFirst, Lars Vestergaard Nielsen, Marketing Communications Manager at Arla Foods Ingredients, explained that demand for whey protein hydrolysates is increasing due to the growing popularity of whey protein in general, which is attributable to all the different functionalities it offers.

"However, hydrolysates are in particular demand because they provide more sophisticated solutions, and this is significant because more end users are demanding specialized products instead of generic 'one size fit all’ products," he said. 

He explained that in infant formula, for example, hydrolysates can be used in a variety of products. "They are useful for both treatment and prevention of cow milk allergy (cma). They can also help reduce gut problems and increase the uptake of calcium."

The sports segment meanwhile is focused on the rapid absorption properties of whey protein hydrolysates. "This results in enhanced recovery after training and a reduction in recovery time," he noted. "With some hydrolysates from Arla Foods Ingredients, it is possible to cut muscle recovery time from days to hours. 

"Whey protein hydrolysates also have a superior amino acid composition that is rapidly absorbed in even an impaired gut, providing a high quality solution to a number of clinical nutrition challenges."

Demand is coming from a variety of different regions, said Vestergaard Nielsen, but sport is growing with great speed in Europe and USA. "As an example, the retail value of sports nutrition products are expected to increase from US$7.2 billion in 2013 to 11 billion in 2018. For infant formula we see a growing market in Asia."

Henrik Andersen, CEO of Arla Foods Ingredients, said: “When we speak with our customers they make it clear that whey protein hydrolysates are a very big part of their future plans and they are keen to work with companies who can guarantee ongoing security of supply. The investment in this factory sends out a strong signal that Arla Foods Ingredients will continue to be at the vanguard of the hydrolysates sector and that we will be able to satisfy demand while adhering to the strictest quality and safety standards.”

The new factory in Videbæk will further the commitments made by Arla Foods Ingredients through its ‘Quality starts here’ brand platform.

Henrik Andersen added: “There are five cornerstones to Quality starts here, including promising our customers security of supply backed by adequate capacity, logistics and documentation. Our new hydrolysates factory in Videbæk will ensure we can meet this pledge and maintain our position as the world’s leading supplier of high quality whey protein ingredients.”

The manufacturing plant is to be located next to Arla Foods Ingredients’ existing whey protein facility in Videbæk, Denmark, where the company is also in the process of building a new lactose factory.

The construction of the new lactose factory is scheduled to be completed by November 2014, and the plant will be fully operational in 2016.  The investment size is €120 million.

by Sonya Hook