Development of Lactose-hydrolyzed Milk with Low Sweetness Using Nanofiltration

A lactose-hydrolyzed milk with low sweetness was developed using nanofiltration. Raw milk was treated with 0.03% ${\beta}$-galactosidase at $4^{\circ}C$ for 24 h to hydrolyze lactose partially. The resultant lactose-hydrolyzed milk containing 0.43% lactose was then concentrated using a nanofiltration membrane to reach concentration factor of 2.13. The concentration factors and coefficients of retention of milk components in nanofiltration were determined. The concentration factor of milk fat was 2.20 which was the highest of the milk components. The coefficient of retention of calcium and riboflavin was 0.96 and 0.76, respectively. However, the coefficient of retention of glucose, galactose, and sodium was 0.21, 0.15, and 0.22, respectively. Raw milk was treated with 0.1% ${\beta}$-galactosidase at $4^{\circ}C$ for 40 h to hydrolyze lactose fully and then concentrated to reach a concentration factor of 1.6 by using nanofiltration. The concentrated milk was reconstituted with water. The lactose-hydrolyzed milk had sweetness similar to milk. The compositional ratios of crude protein, calcium, sodium, and riboflavin of lactose-hydrolyzed nanofiltrated milk to those of raw milk were 99%, 97%, 77%, and 80%, respectively. This study showed that nanofiltration of lactose-hydrolyzed milk to remove galactose and glucose did not cause significant loss of calcium. The lactose-hydrolyzed nanofiltrated milk contained 0.06% lactose and had sweetness similar to milk.