Confectioners' sweet substitution

While its nutritional benefits were grabbing all the headlines, the technical properties of whey were driving its usage in the confectionery industry, said Andrea Pernot-Barry, technical director at ZDS, the Central College of the German Confectionery Trade.

She said: "Lactose in particular is increasingly being used to replace sucrose. For example, you can replace a fifth of sucrose with lactose in boiled sweets, which lowers your overall sugar level and can also improve flavour release."

Manufacturers were also replacing sugar with lactose in fondants for a firmer texture and a slightly less sweet flavour, she added.

"We are seeing manufacturers use a variety of whey products to achieve different effects. Take nougat. They are replacing some sugar with lactose for a less sticky, less sweet and more stable finish, and replacing part of the egg white solids in the preparation of the foam with whey protein isolate (WPI) and whey protein concentrate (WPC). "WPIs and WPCs have whipping properties and can replace aerating agents like egg albumin," she explained.

In milk toffees, meanwhile, lactose was being used to reduce sugar and enhance caramel flavours, she said.

Some manufacturers were also starting to talk about whey on the front of pack rather than merely using it for technical reasons, she said. "In Germany, for example, Aldi Süd is selling reduced sugar fruit gums called 'fruchtgummi plus molke [whey]', so consumers can see they have whey in."

By adding lactose and whey powder to chocolate at an early stage in the production process, they also took part in the Maillard reaction, imparting new flavours to the final product, she said.