The power of dairy products affects the entire food industry. Ongoing research is giving food formulators an impressive arsenal of more sophisticated dairy ingredients with enhanced gelation, texture modification and stabilization abilities—among others. In addition, research points to a greater understanding of the health benefits of some dairy ingredients.
Sharon Gerdes, technical support consultant, Dairy Management Inc.™ (Rosemont, Ill.), gave an overview of whey texturization research and new technologies. Extrusion processing is used to modify the physical texture of whey proteins, expanding their potential use in snack foods and meat products. With texturized whey proteins (TWP), formulators can create high-protein snacks, nutrition bars and cereals with unique textures.