New Lactose Test Kit From Chr. Hansen Can Determine Lactose Levels In Minutes
11 Jul 2016 --- LactoSens, a new lactose testing kit from Chr. Hansen claims it can determine the residual lactose level in low lactose and lactose-free dairy products in minutes. Current methods used to test the concentration of lactose in dairy products can be a combination of imprecise, slow, laborious and expensive, but the new LactoSens kit aims to change the goal posts.
The lactose testing kit from Chr. Hansen claims to be accurate as well as fast, allowing dairies to verify lactose levels in their products in minutes, in turn allowing them to get quick results for fast product releases.
Ole Madsen, Marketing Manager, Tests, Food Cultures & Enzymes, Chr. Hansen, told FoodIngredientsFirst, “LactoSens offers a very short time to results and the ability to test accurately and quantitatively within the site of production. This test has also been validated against the HPLC method, which is the reference/standard method for lactose concentration determination.”
Madsen explains, “In combination, these two changes mean that dairies will not have to wait for days for external HPLC results or to use lab methods that are cumbersome or imprecise or both. Being able to test every batch of lactose-free milk during the lactase treatment that removes the lactose, means that as soon as the lactose has been reduced to the level required, the batch can be released.”
“Comparing this to testing by external HPLC, where the time to results is measured in days, the fast answers can reduce costs of keeping milk in stock and free up production capacity,” continues Madsen.
He adds, “Some dairies choose to test milk batches only at intervals, keeping their process in control by way of a “conformity level”. In this case, the speed and ease of use of LactoSens will allow testing of all batches, providing full documentation and traceability for the lactose-free claims made on the packaging.”
Chr. Hansen also claim that the lactose testing kit is easy to use, with minimal training required.
With about half of the world's population suffering from lactose intolerance, the lactose free dairy segment is growing rapidly.
“Lactose-intolerance is especially pronounced in Asia and Latin America, so for this reason consumers in these areas will have a strong interest in lactose-free products that are documented to contain the required lactose concentration,” explains Maden,“Having said that, the lactose-free trend with consumers in North America and Europe is already strong and growing stronger, and both consumers and supermarkets in these areas expect that product claims are met, well documented and traceable.”
Chr. Hansen expects LactoSens to be implemented in dairies worldwide.
by Hannah Gardiner
