Beston Global Food Company (BFC) has finalised the installation and commissioning of a freeze drying and milling facility at its dairy protein fractionation plant in Jervois, South Australia.
The facility can now have lactoferrin at the Jervois plant in powder form rather than the liquid lactoferrin being shipped interstate to third party contractors for further processing.
Lactoferrin is a dairy protein used in infant formula to provide the bioactive properties that imitates breast milk. It’s also used in other dairy foods, medicines, cosmetics and oral hygiene products. It improves iron absorption and has antimicrobial and antibacterial activity.
The dairy protein market is one of the most valuable markets in the dairy industry. BFC’s investment into highly specialised infrastructure and process technology to facilitate the extraction of lactoferrin into a finished powdered product, aims to meet the market demand for high purity and yield.
“We now have the ability to extract substantial value from the by-products of our cheese manufacturing activities and be a significant player in the global dairy nutraceuticals industry. At the time when BFC acquired the dairy protein fractionation plant in 2015, high grade milled lactoferrin product was selling for around A$200 – A$250 per kilogram. It is now fetching up to 8 to 10 times that price in global markets,” BFC executive Jonathan Hicks said.
The plant will open more employment opportunities in the Murraylands region.
