What is the role of whey in sweetened condensed milk?

Sweet condensed milks are white to cream colored viscous syrups. They contain milk (whole or skimmed), milk fat and sugar. They can be consumed on their own, in tea or coffee or used in food preparations.
Their composition is strictly regulated by the Codex STAN 282-1971 and corresponds to a premium product in this market segment compared to other kind of similar products named “sweetened creamers”.

Many manufacturers offer such low-cost equivalents to sweetened condensed milk by using cheaper substitute ingredients. Creamers recipes typically use whey powder or other milk derivatives to partially or totally replace milk powder. It also include starches or maltodextrins and vegetable fat instead of milk fat. The protein content of creamers can be much lower than the sweetened condensed milk.
In addition, casein/ whey proteins ratio is strongly unbalanced. Therefore, the choice of the most suitable milk substitute is key in order to manage viscosity, pH, coloration and thermic stability of the finished products. This choice is also crucial all along the manufacturing process and over the time as it can impact the product stability.

The choice of the most suitable milk substitute is also crucial all along the manufacturing process and over the time as it can impact the product stability.

How to choose the most appropriate whey to formulate a creamer?

Not all whey on the market are suitable for the use in ‘sweetened creamers’. Many process problems can be avoided by choosing the most suitable whey for the formulation and manufacturing process.

LACTALIS Ingredients has developed an expertise in the manufacturing process of Flowhey® sweet whey powder and in the selection of high quality liquid whey (cheese origin, mineral composition, protein denaturation, pH).
For example, Emmental whey is considered as one of the best whey for applications where heatstability and mineral composition are key criteria. LACTALIS Ingredients is one of the leaders in the production of Emmental cheese, so we can easily provide Emmental type whey with heatstable properties.

With the support of our technical team, Flowhey® has been tested in various applications through industrial pilots and in conditions as close as possible to those of our customers. This allows to fully understand the potential issues of sweetened creamers recipes. Our team has also controlled the evolution of the finished products viscosity and its ability to keep the same creamy color all along its shelf life.

Many process problems can be avoided by choosing the most suitable whey for the formulation and manufacturing process.

Why choose Flowhey® to formulate a creamer?

Flowhey® is successfully used worldwide by many sweetened creamer manufacturers for many years. This very high quality Flowhey® sweet whey powder brings many advantages.

• • • Very high fluidity with few fine particles

• • • Little dust when emptying the bags

• • • Very good solubility

• • • Very little Maillard reaction thanks to a high level of crystallized Lactose

• • • Very good stability under heating conditions

Flowhey® whey range benefits from more than 50 years of expertise. It is now able to meet all the manufacturing processes of condensed milk & creamers thanks to a perfect management of the liquid whey resource and the manufacturing parameters.

Our technical experts’ team is at your disposal to assess your needs and assist you in your developments.