DE9411450U1 - Whey supplements - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to novel low-lactose or lactose-free preparations based on whey, i.e. sweet whey and in particular sour whey, which can be used in particular as dietary foods, as animal feed and as pharmaceutical agents.

When making cheese and casein, what remains after the casein and milk fat have been separated is what is known as whey. Sweet whey is mainly obtained from processes that use rennet, while sour whey is obtained from processes that use lactic acid fermentation.

Common whey has approximately the following composition (cf. Römpp Chemie Lexikon, 9th edition 1991, Georg Thieme Verlag, Stuttgart, DE, Volume 4, page 2831):

127-X 2620-GM-SF-Bk

Table 1

0.8 0.05 0.9 0.9 4.0 3.8 Sense 0.8 0.6 0.75 6.8 6.3

Content (g/100 g) Sweet whey Sour whey

Fat

protein

Lactose

Lactic acid

ash

Dry matter

In addition, it contains vitamins.

Table 1 above shows that whey, regardless of its origin, is in principle a valuable biological material that is impeccable from a hygienic and bacteriological point of view. Attempts have therefore long been made to utilize the valuable ingredients of whey, particularly in the food and animal feed industries.

The biggest problem is the extraordinarily large amounts of whey produced and the low concentration of usable ingredients. For this reason, whey is still considered a waste product of the milk-processing food industry.

The discharge of whey into wastewater, which is still practiced on a large scale, does not represent a solution to the problem, apart from the loss of the ingredients, because wastewater contaminated with whey has a very high biological oxygen demand (BOD value) during wastewater treatment.

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The still practiced application of whey to agricultural land as a fertilizer to enrich it with minerals and nitrogen as well as for biological activation is also not a viable alternative.

Unprocessed whey, especially acid whey, is used to a large extent as a feed additive for animal feed, especially in weaning calves and pigs. From a nutritional point of view, however, the high lactose content of whey is very unfavorable, as it can cause serious digestive disorders in pigs and ruminants.

Since whey has only a low dry matter content of around 6 to 7% by mass, it is concentrated on a larger scale to a higher dry matter content of around 28 to 60% by mass (whey concentrates) or processed into a dry product (whey powder), also in view of the costs associated with storage, transport and processing. The removal of water from whey, which is usually carried out by pre-thickening with falling film evaporators, vacuum evaporators or by reverse osmosis and subsequent spray drying, is correspondingly energy-intensive.

Whey concentrates and whey powder are mainly used as feed additives in animal nutrition and in the food industry (e.g. in the production of baby food, confectionery products, ice cream, chocolate products etc.).

Particularly problematic in the use of unprocessed whey and corresponding concentrates is the content of lactose (milk sugar, lactobiose, 4-O-ß-D-galactopyranosyl-D-glucose), which per se has a weak laxative effect on mammals.

The physiological digestion of lactose is based on the enzymatic hydrolytic cleavage by the enzyme ß-galactosidase into D-galactose and D-glucose, which are then subject to carbohydrate degradation via various hexose degradation pathways.

In humans, the enzyme ß-galactosidase is usually only produced in sufficient quantities in infancy and early childhood. The deficiency of ß-galactosidase ('lactose intolerance '), which often occurs in adulthood in Europeans and is present in many Asians and Africans, regardless of age, leads to digestive disorders such as cramps and diarrhoea when large amounts of lactose are ingested with food. The same applies to the use of lactose-containing whey in animal feed, as similar digestive disorders can occur in ruminants and pigs in particular. In addition, if whey is stored for a long time, lactulose can be formed from lactose, which is not absorbable and promotes pathological fermentation phenomena in the digestive tract.

One of the methods used to process whey is electrodialysis to remove and extract the mineral salts. This improves the taste quality and increases the protein content in the solids. The demineralized whey is usually also concentrated into a concentrate or dried into a powder.

The hydrolysis of lactose with ß-galactosidase is also widely used, for which fungi and yeasts that produce this enzyme are used in various countries. The hydrolysis of lactose with immobilized ß-galactosidase is also used on a large scale, whereby the lactose

About 75% is converted into easily digestible sugars such as galactose and glucose.

The whey proteins are also separated from whey by ultrafiltration. The whey proteins are used primarily in the food industry to produce dietary foods, as protein-rich food additives and as additives for infant and toddler food. The whey permeate obtained by ultrafiltration, which is essentially a lactose solution, is produced worldwide in quantities that correspond to around 3.5 million tonnes of lactose per year.

The following possible uses for whey permeate are mainly discussed (cf. S. G. Coton, Journal of the Society of Dairy Technology, Vol. 33, No. 3 (1980) p. 89/94):

A) Use as pig feed (in Switzerland, for example, 92% of the whey produced during cheese production is used for fattening pigs) after substitution of the protein separated during ultrafiltration;

B) Obtaining lactose by extraction;

C) Drying to whey permeate powder and use as animal feed;

D) after concentration and crystallization, use as lick stones in animal husbandry;

E) reaction with urea as a non-protein nitrogen (NPN)-yielding substance to produce lactosylurea and use as animal feed;

F) Fermentation of lactose with Lactobacillus bulgaricus to lactic acid and continuous neutralisation of the lactic acid formed with ammonia to produce ammonium lactate and use of the ammonium lactate as animal feed;

G) production of biomass by aerobic fermentation with yeasts and use of the biomass as animal feed;

H) production of methane by anaerobic fermentation and use of the methane as an energy source;

I) Production of ethanol by fermentation with Kluyveromyces fragilis and use of the ethanol as fuel;

J) production of organic substances by fermentation, in particular lactic acid and penicillins;

K) Hydrolysis to galactose/glucose syrup, which can be used as a sweetener and in beer production.

The state of the art also involves the fermentation of whey with microorganisms with the aim of breaking down the lactose enzymatically. This involves using either yeasts that produce alcohol that can be used for technical purposes or as fuel, or in particular lactic acid bacteria that convert the lactose into lactic acid, e.g. Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus bulgaricus, whereby whey enriched with ammonium lactate can be obtained by neutralizing the lactic acid formed with ammonia. This whey enriched with ammonium lactate is approved in the USA, for example, as a feed additive for cattle.

All whey processing technologies described above are ultimately aimed at the use of certain individual components of whey or products obtained from it, in particular lactose, lactates, proteins and mineral salts.

However, none of the above-mentioned uses has proven to be even remotely economically viable overall, whereby the large-scale utilization options indicated cannot be carried out economically as such and, on the other hand, the serious quantity problem cannot be solved with economically profitable utilizations, such as the production of pure lactic acid or penicillins or glucose syrup.

Despite the rapid development of industrial microbiology, no ecologically and economically satisfactory solution to the whey problem has yet been found, although it can be assumed that the amount of whey will continue to increase with increasing economic growth and correspondingly developing consumer behavior.

In view of the above-described prior art, the invention is based on the object of specifying novel lactose-depleted whey preparations with novel properties, whereby an economical and ecologically compatible utilization of even large quantities of whey should be possible while achieving high-quality products.

The problem is solved according to the independent claims.

The dependent claims relate to advantageous embodiments of the inventive concept.

The lactose-depleted whey preparations according to the invention are obtained by fermenting whey using a lactose-degrading microorganism and neutralizing the reaction mixture with a base. They are available from

- Use of one or more microorganisms of the genus Streptococcus as lactose-degrading microorganisms

- Setting and maintaining a pH value in the range of 4.0 to 8.5 throughout the entire fermentation period by adding the appropriate base.

Acid whey is advantageously used as the starting material. It is also possible to use sweet whey as the starting material. Preferably, at least about 30% by mass of acid whey is added to the sweet whey. Within the scope of the invention, it is also possible to use corresponding whey concentrates or whey powder as the starting material, which is advantageous due to the higher concentrations of the ingredients.

The basic reactions relating to lactose degradation, which are exploited according to the invention, can be illustrated schematically as follows:

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ß-Galactosidase

(I) Lactose ν D-Galactose + D-Glucose

Epimerase

(II) D-Galactose D-Glucose

homofermentative

(III) D-glucose . lactic acid

or heterofermentative

The lactose present in the whey in relatively high concentration is specifically split into D-galactose and D-glucose by the bacterial ß-galactosidase (ß-D-galactoside galactohydrolase, lactase) (reaction (I)). The D-galactose epimeric with D-glucose is converted into D-glucose by a bacterial epimerase (reaction (II)).

During the subsequent lactic acid fermentation, the D-glucose is either converted into lactic acid by homofermentation via the so-called fructose biphosphate pathway, or it is broken down by heterofermentation (in bacteria that lack the main enzymes of the fructose biphosphate pathway) via the so-called pentose phosphate pathway, producing lactic acid, ethanol and CO ₂ . Depending on the process conditions, the lactic acid produced can be predominantly D(-)-lactic acid or predominantly (+)-lactic acid.

The lactic acid bacteria are grouped together in the Lactobacteriaceae family. All members are Gram-positive, do not form spores, are dependent on carbohydrates for energy production and excrete lactic acid (lactate). They are also able to grow in the presence of atmospheric oxygen; they are anaerobic but aerotolerant. The family of lactic acid bacteria includes in particular

(a) Lactobacillus lactis, L. bulgaricus, L. helveticus, L. casei, L. ferraentum, L. brevis and Streptococcus lactis and S. diacetilactis present in milk and milk products and in processing plants;

b) Lactobacillus plantarum, L. delbrückii and Leuconostoc mesenteroides, which occur in plants:

c) Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium, Streptococcus faecalis, S. salivarius, S. bovis, S. pyogenes and

S. pneumoniae, which occurs in the intestines and mucous membranes of humans and animals.

Due to their acid tolerance, lactic acid bacteria can easily be enriched and isolated on selective nutrient media. The milk and sour milk products produced on a large scale, such as sour cream, buttermilk, yoghurt, organic yogurt, kefir and quark, as well as sourdough, sauerkraut and silage used in agriculture, are in a sense ‘natural pure cultures’ of representatives from the above-mentioned groups. In addition to the naturally occurring lactic acid bacteria mentioned above, other lactic acid bacteria also occur in technical processes, especially in milk processing, such as Streptococcus cremoris, S. thermophilus, Pediococcus cerevisiae, Leuconostoc cremoris, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Sporolactobacillus inulinus, Lactobacillus viridescens etc.

In the large-scale production of dairy products such as sour cream, buttermilk, yoghurt, kefir and quark, milk or cream is mixed with pure cultures of lactic acid bacteria, in particular Streptococcus lactis, S. cremoris, Leuconostoc cremoris,

L. bulgaricus, L. casei and S. thermophilus are used as so-called acid stimulants (cf. H.G. Schlegel, Allgemeine Mikrobiologie, Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart 1981, pp. 258 - 272).

As mentioned above, Lactobacillus casei and L. bulgaricus are generally used in the large-scale fermentation of whey, which is a waste product from milk processing. In state-of-the-art whey fermentation, the pH of the reaction medium is "buffered" in most processes by adding calcium carbonate. Accordingly, in conventional whey fermentation processes, no specific pH value selected from specific perspectives is set and maintained, but the system is simply neutralized by adding calcium carbonate, usually in excess.

The invention is based on the surprising finding that when using a microorganism of the genus Streptococcus, by maintaining a constant or quasi-constant pH value during fermentation instead of re-neutralizing the acid formed at a later stage of fermentation or after its completion or carrying out the process in the presence of a base, not only can the fermentation time be significantly shortened to a fraction of the time otherwise required, namely to a maximum of about 6 hours, but the resulting product has a completely different composition, which makes it considerably more suitable for food or animal feed purposes than conventional whey preparations, for example, and also, in contrast to known whey preparations, advantageous pharmacological applications are possible.

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The whey used as starting material is preferably sterilized or peuteurized before the starter culture is added.

This procedure not only involves fermentation in the whey, which serves as a culture medium, with the main aim of breaking down lactose, but also a significant amount of biomass is produced at the same time, so that the chemical properties of the whey preparation obtained after the end of fermentation are practically no longer comparable with the whey used as the starting material. The product of the process according to the invention therefore represents a very special biomass, the chemical properties of which are essentially determined by the streptococci used and cultivated and their degradation and lysis products. This is a fundamental difference to fermented whey products according to the state of the art.

In the production of the whey preparations according to the invention, preference is given to using mesophilic and thermophilic Streptococcus species, ie those with a temperature optimum at a medium temperature of about 28 to 32 ⁰ C or at a higher temperature of about 32 to 38 ⁰ C, preferably Streptococcus lactis and Streptococcus thermophilus.

In addition to the ability to convert lactose into galactose and glucose by ß-galactosidase, these strains have the ability to epimerize galactose to glucose and convert glucose into lactic acid.

Within the scope of the invention, it is possible to use microorganism strains which homofermentatively convert glucose into

the fructose bisphosphate pathway, or microorganism strains that heterofermentatively produce lactic acid or lactate via the pentose phosphate pathway.

These streptococci can be used as starter cultures in the form of pure cultures of a single strain, as well as in the form of mixed cultures of several strains, as well as in the form of mixtures of corresponding pure cultures or mixed cultures.

In the production of the whey preparations according to the invention, a bacterial concentrate is advantageously used as a starter culture, which has a bacterial content in the range of about 10 ⁴ to about 10 ⁹ bacteria/ml. The starter culture is usually added in an amount of 0.1 to 2% by mass and preferably 0.1 to 0.2% by mass, based on the mass of the whey to be fermented.

The starter culture can, as is known to the person skilled in the art, be prepared, for example, from a corresponding lyophilisate of Streptococcus strains by culturing in a suitable nutrient medium, preferably milk. For example, about 0.5 to 1.0 g of lyophilisate is added to about 10 l of milk, after which the system is incubated at a temperature in the range of 32 to 37 ⁰ C for about 4 to 8 hours, after which a germ count of about 10 ⁸ germs/ml of Streptococcus lactis or Streptococcus thermophilus is present.

Since during the production of the whey preparations according to the invention a considerable biomass production takes place through the proliferation of microorganisms, a corresponding increase in the initial cell density occurs.

In conventional systems for cultivating microorganisms such as streptococci, a maximum cell density of the order of 10 ⁶ cells/ml is usually achieved. By fermenting whey with microorganisms of the genus Streptococcus according to the invention, cell densities of the order of 10 ⁷ to 10 ⁸ cells per milliliter of medium can be achieved that are approximately 10 to 100 times higher, which is quite surprising and is probably due to the special culture substrate used.

NaOH, KOH, Ca(OH) ₂ or milk of lime and/or ammonia (ammonium hydroxide) can be used as bases for neutralizing the acids formed, in particular lactic acid. With regard to the usability as a feed or feed additive, ammonia is particularly important in addition to calcium hydroxide, since ammonium lactate is suitable as a feed for ruminants and, as was surprisingly found in the context of the invention, is also suitable for feeding non-ruminant mammals, in particular pigs, as well as birds and poultry. The ammonia used is in the range of about 1 to 8.5 kg per ton of whey to be fermented.

Since it was also determined that ammonium lactate/sodium lactate mixtures are also suitable as feed or feed additives for pigs, a preferred variant of the described process is the use of both NaOH and ammonia as bases, whereby both bases can be used in the form of a mixture or sequentially one after the other in any order for pH-controlled neutralization.

According to the invention, it is essential that the whey used as starting material contains, in addition to the microorganism starter culture,

no other substances are added. Only the addition of magnesium in the form of suitable salts has proven to be beneficial in some cases.

The process for producing the whey preparations according to the invention is essentially based on maintaining a pH value selected within the range of 4.0 to 8.5 throughout the entire duration of the fermentation by adding an appropriate base. As will be explained in more detail below, the choice of the pH value to be kept constant depends on the desired result of the process, since the product composition, apart from the fermentation temperature used, can be significantly influenced by the choice of the pH value kept constant.

According to an advantageous embodiment, a pH of 6.5 to 7.5, preferably 6.5 to 7.0 and more preferably 6.7 + 0.1 is maintained throughout the fermentation period.

According to another preferred embodiment, a pH of 7.5 to 8.5 and preferably 8.0 to 8.5 is maintained.

According to a further advantageous embodiment, a pH value of about 5.0 is maintained during fermentation.

The temperature at which fermentation is carried out is in the range of 28 to 48 ⁰ C and preferably in the range of 32 to 40 ⁰ C.

The process can be carried out in such a way that the temperature can fluctuate within the specified ranges.

However, it is particularly preferred to select a specific process temperature within the specified temperature ranges, which is maintained within the scope of the usual technological accuracy. Depending on the size of the reactor and the thermostating device available, a constant temperature in the range of + 3 to + 1 ⁰ C can be achieved. By conducting the process at a process temperature that is discrete within the scope of accuracy or within a very narrow temperature interval of only about 3 ⁰ C at most, together with the selection of the pH value to be kept constant, the process result, ie the composition of the resulting whey preparation, can be varied within wide limits.

In the case of the streptococcal species Streptococcus lactis and Streptococcus thermophilus, which are preferably used, two different ß-galactosidases are present intracellularly, as was surprisingly discovered, one of which also works at acidic pH values of around 4. It is accordingly possible to carry out the method according to the invention at pH values in the lower pH range around pH 4.0 or to carry out the method partially at this pH value, since under these conditions the ß-galactosidase, which is stable at acidic pH values, is formed, which then results in a corresponding conversion of lactic acid.

The formation of ß-galactosidases can be particularly promoted by conducting the process in the pH range of 7.5 to 8. In this context, it should be noted that ß-galactosidases are present in trace amounts at most in the whey used as the starting product.

ß-galactosidases are formed intracellularly, whereby the conversion of lactose to galactose takes place intra-

cellular. In the context of the invention, it was surprisingly discovered that the resulting whey preparation contains an extracellular ß-galactosidase, i.e. the whey preparation contains a content of free ß-galactosidase. Since, as stated above, the concentration of extracellular ß-galactosidase can be maximized by conducting the process in the pH range of about 7.5 to 8.0, this process is suitable for a new type of production of the very valuable ß-galactosidase as an end product.

In this case, the whey product obtained after fermentation is centrifuged and then subjected to ultrafiltration to separate the cells, whereby the ß-galactosidase can be obtained in high concentration.

This is a particular advantage of the invention, since this procedure enables the extraction of ß-galactosidase as a very high-quality product for the first time, without cell lysis or cell destruction being necessary to release intracellular ß-galactosidase.

The inventive concept is based on the fact that the pH value is kept constant within the above-mentioned range during the duration of the fermentation by adding the appropriate base. The pH value can be kept constant in batches, quasi-continuously or continuously by pH-controlled addition of base. With batches of base, the procedure is such that a pH deviation from the target pH value is specified, and if this is exceeded, base is added until the pH value has reached the target value again. With quasi-continuous pH-controlled addition of base, the procedure is basically the same with the sub-

* · · e ft

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It is decided that the addition of base is carried out at smaller intervals, i.e. when the pH value of the medium deviates from the pH target value. When the pH is continuously maintained constant, an even smaller permissible range of deviation of the pH value from the target value is specified and a pH stat device is used, with which no noticeable pH deviations from the target value occur when the setting is optimal, provided that the fermentation system is sufficiently mixed.

Within the scope of the invention, a closed control loop is preferably used in which a signal from a pH electrode, which corresponds to the pH value of the fermentation medium, is compared with a target value and, depending on the difference between the actual value and the target value, base is dosed into the fermentation medium until the control deviation is reversed. This procedure is familiar to the person skilled in the art, including the measuring and control devices that can be used here.

By keeping the pH constant, considerably shorter reaction times can be achieved compared to the conventional state-of-the-art procedure, based on the practically complete conversion of the lactose contained in the starting product. Depending on the pH and temperature conditions used, the reaction time is about 2 to about 10 hours and preferably about 4 to about 6 hours.

The reaction temperature can be selected in the range from about 28 to about 40 ⁰ C and is preferably kept at the selected value during the fermentation. Fermenters which can be thermostatted accordingly are also familiar to the person skilled in the art, so that a more detailed description of such devices is not necessary here.

Since Streptococcus species are used for fermentation whose optimum temperature is in the range of about 28 to 32 ⁰ C (mesophilic streptococci) or in the range of about 32 to 38 ⁰ C (thermophilic streptococci), the reaction speed with respect to one or more microorganisms can be optimized accordingly by choosing the reaction temperature, which in turn corresponds to an optimization of the amount of product produced by the corresponding microorganism(s). Thermophilic streptococci in particular can still be used for fermentation even at temperatures that are considerably higher than their optimum temperature, so that temperatures of up to 48 ⁰ C can be used according to the invention. Such high temperatures are only possible in the process used in the invention, i.e. while maintaining the pH at a constant value.

Since the two essential process parameters of the constant pH value and the process temperature can be selected within the specified limits, it is also possible within the scope of the invention to apply different process conditions at different time phases of the fermentation, using empirically determined process results as a basis. For example, within the scope of the invention it is advantageous to carry out the initial phase of the fermentation at a low pH value of around 4 until sufficient lactic acid production has started and then to keep the pH value constant at a higher value.

As explained above, it is also possible to enrich ß-galactosidase in the fermentation broth under the specified special process conditions and to recover it after completion of the fermentation. It is therefore possible

• 9 · * · S

It is also possible to maximize or minimize the amount of ß-galactosidase by choosing the pH and the reaction temperature during certain phases of the fermentation 2U, depending on the intended use of the reaction product obtained.

The ß-galactosidase preparations according to the invention are available through

- Fermentation of whey using one or more microorganisms of the genus Streptococcus as lactose-degrading microorganisms,

- Setting and maintaining a pH value in the range of 7.5 to 8.0 throughout the fermentation period by adding a base,

- Separation of solids from the whey product obtained after fermentation, in particular by centrifugation,

and

- Separation of ß-galactosidase from the liquid medium by ultrafiltration in the form of an aqueous concentrate

and, where applicable,

- Extraction of solid, preferably crystalline ß-galactosidase from the aqueous concentrate.

ß-Galactosidase is a high-quality, industrially used enzyme that is used in particular to split lactose into glucose and galactose and is used, for example, in the food industry in the production of

production of dairy products such as cheese and the production of glucose and galactose syrup. Using the process according to the invention, ß-galactosidase can be produced at significantly lower production costs than the state of the art.

The duration of the fermentation is preferably the time required to break down the lactose present in the starting material by approximately 100%. This time period is easy to determine for the given fermentation conditions in simple preliminary tests. In these cases, the resulting products are, in a sense, practically 100% depleted of lactose.

Within the scope of the invention, it is also possible to terminate the pH-controlled fermentation at a lactose depletion level of less than 100%. It has been found that in the last time interval of lactose degradation under the process conditions according to the invention, vitamins and amino acids that were previously formed in large quantities are subject to degradation phenomena, so that, particularly when maximum vitamin and/or amino acid contents in the product are desired, premature termination of the fermentation before 100% lactose degradation is achieved can be advantageous. In these cases, the fermentation is terminated at a lactose depletion level of approximately 98 to 99%. The corresponding products therefore contain a residual lactose content of approximately 1 to 2%, based on the total lactose content of the starting material (100%), which is easily tolerable for all applications.

After fermentation, the whey preparation is preferably concentrated to a higher solids concentration, which can be achieved by evaporation at normal pressure or

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This can be conveniently done in a vacuum or by ultrafiltration. It is important that the temperature does not exceed 55 ⁰ C and preferably 50 ⁰ C.

After concentration, the whey preparations according to the invention are preferably in the form of a wet concentrate, i.e. a water-containing solid.

Such whey preparations have the following typical properties:

- The dry matter content is 30 to 45% by mass and preferably 42 to 45% by mass;

- the lactate content is 6 to 36% by mass;

- the lactose content is 0.6 to 28% by mass and preferably < 1% by mass;

- the galactose content is 0.7 to 14% by mass,

- the glucose content is 0.1 to 10% by mass.

Due to their production, the whey preparations according to the invention consist of remaining components of the starting material as well as reaction products, i.e. hydrolysis products from the fermentation of lactose as well as proteins and metabolic products and cell contents of the lactic acid bacteria used. The whey preparations according to the invention also contain AMP, ADP and ATP, amino acids, oligopeptides, polypeptides or proteins, water-soluble vitamins of the B complex as well as fat-soluble vitamins such as A, C and E, as well as vitamins K, H and T and folic acid. Trace elements such as Cu, Co and Zn as well as Fe are also present.

Since the streptococcal species used are auxotrophic, they also synthesize numerous proteases during fermentation, which lead to a rich spectrum of proteins and protein degradation products.

A main aspect of the present invention is therefore the most complete possible degradation of lactose into lactic acid, which preferably takes place in the pH range of 6 to 7.

Another important aspect of the invention is that, when the pH is set in the range of about 4 to 8, reactions can be preferred in which a particularly rich spectrum of enzymes is synthesized, of which numerous enzymes appear in the culture liquid. This allows the content of enzyme protein in the resulting fermentation product to be controlled accordingly. A particularly advantageous example of this is the above-mentioned production of ß-galactosidase.

According to a third essential aspect of the invention, the reaction can also be carried out in such a way that, in addition to the degradation of the lactose or independently of this, biomass is preferably produced by proliferation of the streptococci used, whereby not only the solids content in the resulting product can be increased compared to the solids content of the whey used, but also the composition is shifted in the direction of the ingredients of the streptococcal biomass.

Accordingly, the nutritional and feed qualities of the resulting products can also be controlled.

The nutritional analysis of the resulting products with regard to their suitability as food or feed or corresponding additives can be carried out using conventional methods that are familiar to the person skilled in the art, for example by determining the enzymatic activity, the protein amino acid nitrogen, the determination of the carbohydrates or sugars present, by determining vitamins, etc.

What is essential for the assessment of the present invention is the fact that the resulting whey preparations generally and regardless of the pH values and temperatures at which they are obtained, due to the production at a constant pH value and due to the special use of Streptococcus lactis and Streptococcus thermophilus, cannot be compared chemically, biochemically and bacteriologically with the conventional whey fermentation products in terms of their composition.

The end products always contain, depending on the corresponding biomass production, more or less large quantities of streptococci. In the context of the invention, it is essential that, due to the pH being kept constant, the rate of proliferation of the streptococci is higher than in the prior art and a correspondingly higher colony density occurs.

On the other hand, the whey preparations obtainable according to the invention also have a stronger cell lysis than the state of the art, which is why the whey preparations according to the invention have a considerably higher content of nucleosides and nucleotides and enzymes and other proteins than normal whey fermented according to the state of the art.

The live bacterial load, based on the content of heterofermentative Gram-positive rod bacteria, is typically about 10 to 10 ⁴ bacteria per gram and based on lactate-forming streptococci about 10 ⁴ to 10 ⁵ bacteria per gram.

Other types of germs are suppressed due to the antibiotic activity of the whey preparations to such an extent that no other germs capable of reproduction can be detected using conventional methods.

As lactic acid fermentation products, the whey preparations according to the invention are also inherently stable and are not subject to spoilage, even when they are in the form of wet concentrates. They are therefore characterized by their long shelf life and can therefore be stored for many weeks without any loss of quality.

Accordingly, the whey preparations according to the invention have advantageous antimicrobial, bacteriostatic and anti-yeast efficacy when added to feed, foodstuffs, etc.

The whey preparations according to the invention can also be dehydrated to such an extent that they are in the form of dry, solid powders.

For normal applications as animal feed or animal feed additives, it is sufficient to concentrate the fermentation product to a dry matter content of about 30 to 45% by mass. Evaporation is carried out in a conventional manner, preferably in vacuum evaporation apparatus or falling film evaporators. However, for more specific applications, such as for certain foods or beverages, it can be

It may be advantageous to use dry products, also for storage and transport reasons. The manufacture of such dry preparations allows better standardization of concentrations of components and of physiological or pharmaceutical properties, as well as a correspondingly more precise dosage, so that these forms are particularly suitable for special dietary use and for pharmacological purposes.

Dry preparations that are particularly suitable as feed additives contain calcium salts, such as calcium chloride or calcium carbonate, in an amount that is usual for feed. The calcium compound is preferably added before thermal concentration by evaporation, for example by spray drying, which surprisingly allows the drying process to be accelerated.

Due to their composition, bacterial load, stability and shelf life, the whey preparations according to the invention have been proven to be medically and hygienically safe and are therefore fully suitable, for example, as feed, in particular as additional feed or feed supplement for domestic and farm animals, in particular fur animals and farm animals, including poultry and fish, and especially for pigs. This can significantly increase performance and fertility.

In the context of the invention, use as a feed additive means that the whey preparations can be added not only to solid or semi-solid feed, but also to drinking water. This application is particularly advantageous because no thermal concentration is required, which further reduces production costs.

A particularly advantageous use of the whey preparations according to the invention is in combination with straw (straw from rice, corn, wheat, oats, barley, rye, etc.). For this purpose, finely chopped, e.g. ground straw is mixed with the whey preparation wet concentrate in a mass ratio of about 5:1. It is advantageous to sterilize the straw beforehand, for example with steam at 120 ⁰ C under an overpressure of 0.5 to 1.0 bar for 15 to 20 minutes. Mixing with the whey wet preparation is advantageously carried out when the straw material has cooled to about 50 ⁰ C. Since the whey preparation contains the base used to neutralize the acids formed, it is particularly advantageous in these cases for use as feed, especially for pigs, cows, sheep and goats, to use whey preparations obtained using ammonia and/or sodium hydroxide as bases together with the straw. It is also advantageous to condition the mixture of straw and whey preparation according to the invention for a few hours, eg 6 to 8 hours, at a higher temperature between 20 and 50 ⁰ C, before cooling to ambient temperature.

Such mixtures of the whey preparation according to the invention and chopped straw have a high calorie content, which is significantly higher than the value of straw. Such preparations have a gray-greenish color and a pleasant milky smell, which has nothing in common with the smell of straw. The pH value is in the range of 6 to 7, i.e. practically neutral. Such feed mixtures are eaten with great acceptance by animals, especially ruminants. The advantage of this straw-containing whey preparation according to the invention is that the nutritional value is about 0.7 nutritional units per kilogram.

i.e. about three times the nutritional value of straw. According to the results of the studies available so far, the presence of the whey preparation means that the straw is utilized in the animal organism to a higher percentage, which can be up to about 55%.

In an exploratory experiment, straw produced in this way and mixed with the whey preparation according to the invention was produced and fed to sheep. While the daily straw intake in the control group was about 400 g, the straw product modified according to the invention resulted in a daily intake of 1000 g. This immediately shows the increase in acceptance compared to unmodified straw, as well as the advantageous increase in food intake associated with weight gain.

The mixtures of straw and whey preparation according to the invention can also be advantageously processed with the addition of calcium salts and in particular briquetted. Due to the calcium content, corresponding feedstuffs are particularly suitable as feed for farm animals and for fur animals.

It has also been demonstrated that the whey preparations according to the invention are also suitable as fish feed.

The whey preparations according to the invention can also be used advantageously as feed for birds and poultry, i.e. for ornamental birds such as parrots, budgies, etc., as well as for geese, ducks, chickens, swans, etc.

In chickens, an increase in fertility in female animals and an earlier sexual maturity in roosters has been demonstrated.

&bull; · &diams;·■ ·&diams;»· p-it &Phi; ·*· ·* * » * &bgr;

In addition to being suitable as animal feed, the whey preparations according to the invention are also suitable as foodstuffs or additives and in particular as dietary foods for humans and as pharmaceuticals with an extraordinarily broad range of applications .

The whey preparations according to the invention can also be used to increase the digestibility of food, especially in children's nutrition. Milk and milk preparations based on cow's milk, which are considered questionable for feeding small children, also with regard to the potential for triggering allergies, can be made more digestible and well tolerated by adding a whey preparation according to the invention. To do this, a corresponding cow's milk preparation is incubated for a period of about 1.5 to 3 hours at a temperature of about 30 to 50 ^° C with a whey preparation according to the invention, which is added in an amount of about 0.5 to 1.5% by mass.

The digestibility-promoting effect is probably based on at least partial lactose degradation and a degradation of cow's milk casein.

The whey preparations according to the invention can also be used advantageously as additives for drinks, spice mixtures, soups, sauces, margarine and other fatty products, salad dressings and the like, since in addition to lactic acid, the whey preparations contain numerous flavor-forming or flavor-enhancing components which, for example, lead to very organoleptically advantageous flavor effects when heated due to Maillard reactions.

Another advantageous application is the production of bioorganic fertilizers. For this purpose, the whey preparations according to the invention can be used either as such in the form of liquid dispersions, wet concentrates or dry preparations or in the form of mixtures with mineral fertilizers and/or organic fertilizers such as peat, sewage sludge, etc. Such fertilizers represent completely new products. In this way, not only can plants and soils be supplied with all the necessary main nutrients and trace elements, but the fertility and quality of soils can be increased by the supply of living biomass, since the living microorganisms successfully compete with numerous microorganisms that are harmful to cultivated plants, e.g. mold. In this way, for example, a very advantageous supply of nitrogen to soils can take place.

The invention is explained in more detail below using exemplary embodiments, the details of which are not restrictive.

The process is generally carried out in such a way that the whey used as starting material is introduced into a thermostated vessel which is equipped with a mixing device and in which the whey is brought to the intended fermentation temperature in the range of 28 to 48 ⁰ C. After adding the starter culture of Streptococcus lactis and/or Streptococcus thermophilus, the initially present or set pH value is then kept constant by pH-controlled dosing of base solution until the fermentation is complete, the end of which is determined, for example, via the lactose concentration. When using whey with a known composition, it is possible in practice to empirically determine the required reaction time.

It is sufficient to carry out the fermentation purely by time. After the fermentation has finished, the addition of base is stopped, after which the product is concentrated, observing the upper temperature limit of 55 and preferably 50 ⁰ C, and then cooled to room temperature or to an even lower temperature in the range of 5 to 10 ⁰ C and then stored or delivered to consumers.

The whey preparations according to the invention are aqueous dispersions before concentration or drying, which can be mixed very well with food and feed.

Due to their excellent stability and storage capacity, the preparations can be stored for long periods at temperatures of 0 to 10 ⁰ C. The guaranteed storage period without any change in quality is at least 6 months at temperatures in the range of 0 to 10 ⁰ C.

The figure shows a device suitable for carrying out the process according to the invention. It comprises a stirred reactor 1 which has a stirrer 2 which is driven by a motor M. As an alternative to a classic, motor-driven stirrer, the mixing of the reactor contents can also be achieved by introducing a suitable gas or, advantageously, by means of a circulation pump, as is familiar to those skilled in the art.

The reactor 1 also has a thermostatic jacket 3, which is thermostated with a thermostatic fluid TH, as indicated by the arrows. Alternatively, the reactor contents can also be heated directly with an electric immersion heater, for example, or with

* &diams;

a heat exchanger, for example a coiled tube, provided inside the reactor through which thermostatting fluid flows.

The device further comprises a container for the starter culture 4, which is provided with a valve 5 and/or a feed pump 6, through which the starter culture can be metered into the reactor 1 in the intended amount. The whey indicated by the level 7 can be introduced into the reactor 1 via the line 8 before or after the addition of the starter culture.

The device further comprises a pH control device 9, which receives a pH signal from a pH electrode 10, which detects the pH value of the whey in the reactor 1. The device also has a container for the base 11 for the base used to keep the pH value constant, the base being connected to the reactor 1 via a valve 12 and/or a feed pump 13. The pH control device controls the valve 12 or the feed pump 13, by means of which the base is metered from the container 11 into the reactor 1 depending on the pH.

If the container 4 for the starter culture or the container 11 for the base are arranged sufficiently above the reactor 1, a valve 5 or 12 is sufficient to control the amount introduced due to the hydrostatic pressure, while otherwise a corresponding feed pump 6 or is provided.

The pH control device 9 can have any control behavior. The control characteristic is typically a P characteristic, but PI, PID or PDPI characteristics are possible. It is also possible to

pH control device is to be designed as a freely programmable control device, especially based on a microprocessor system, which can be provided with a freely definable characteristic curve that is established empirically. Such control systems are familiar to the person skilled in the art.

The device also has a vacuum evaporator 14 downstream of the reactor 1, which is only shown schematically. Process engineers are also familiar with such devices. The vacuum evaporator is connected to the reactor 1 via a line 15. The vacuum evaporator 14 has a corresponding heating device with the aid of which the medium to be evaporated can be kept at a temperature of < 55 ⁰ C and advantageously < 50 ⁰ C. The resulting whey preparation according to the invention is removed via line 16 in the form of a wet concentrate and optionally in the form of a dry powder and stored or used.

The final product coming from the vacuum evaporator preferably has a dry matter content of 42 to 45%.

The production of the whey preparations according to the invention can in principle be carried out discontinuously, i.e. in batches, as well as continuously. The figure shows the discontinuous procedure, which is sufficient for most applications. However, it is also possible, especially with a high and uniform amount of whey, to carry out the process in a continuously operating device, for example in a cascade of stirred tanks or, what is even more favorable, in a flow tube, the average residence time in these types of reactor corresponding to the required reaction time of the fermentation. The reaction tube has the advantage of

very narrow residence time distribution, so that in continuous operation the required reaction time for the liquid medium to be processed can be set precisely.

In particular, the continuous procedure has the advantage that the whey produced in the company during milk processing can be processed directly without intermediate storage and that only the resulting end product according to the invention is stored if necessary, which in turn, in contrast to the whey used as the starting material, does not pose any storage problems due to its stability.

Percentages based on quantities in the examples below are based on mass (mass%).

Example l:

4 l of whey from curd production was placed in a thermostated container. The whey was obtained after separating the curd mass, which was obtained using a commercially available bacterial mass from lactic acid bacteria of the MT strain. The pH value of the whey containing streptococcus was measured using a pH electrode connected to an automatic titration device that had a dosing device for a base solution. The starting whey had a pH value of 4.0 and a temperature of 40 ⁰ C. The container was thermostated to 40 ⁰ C.

After switching on the automatic titration device, a pH value of 6.6 was maintained for 4.5 hours. The consumption of sodium hydroxide solution was 500 ml. The content of lactates

in the obtained product was 2.4%, the galactose content was 1.55% and the lactose content was 0.45%.

Example 2:

The procedure was as in Example 1, with the difference that the whey was fermented at a temperature of 32 ⁰ C at a pH of 6.8 for 6 hours. The consumption of sodium hydroxide solution was 750 ml. The whey preparation obtained contained 3.54% sodium lactate, 0.45% galactose and 0.01% lactose.

Compared to the conventional procedure, lactate formation is increased by a factor of about 2 from about 30 to about 60%, with the resulting lactose conversion also being increased by a factor of about 2.

Example 3:

Quark whey was used directly from production without intermediate storage and passed through a pasteurizer at a temperature of 55 ⁰ C and then cooled in a cooler to 42 ⁰ C. The cooled whey was fed into a reactor containing 1 kg of a bacterial concentrate of Streptococcus thermophilus, corresponding to 0.1% of the whey to be fermented (1 t). With constant stirring, the pH was kept constant in the range of 6.5 to 7.5 (4 kg in total) using ammonia solution. After 4.5 hours of fermentation, the whey was evaporated in a vacuum evaporator at a temperature of <_ 50 ⁰ C to a solids content of 43%.

3 6

The obtained hydrolyzed whey preparation enriched with lactates contained 16% ammonium lactate, 18% sugars, 6% hydrolyzed proteins (amino acids, dipeptides, tripeptides, oligopeptides and polypeptides) and macro- and microelements.

With this procedure, the ammonium content in the resulting end product can be freely selected within a wide range, primarily by choosing the pH value. More acidic pH values result in a correspondingly lower ammonium content in the end product than pH values in the more alkaline range.

Example 4:

1 t of curd whey was placed in a reactor in which the whey was kept at a temperature of 42 ⁰ C. A bacterial concentrate of Streptococcus thermophilus was added to the whey. A pH of 5.0 was maintained by adding ammonia solution. 5 kg of ammonia solution were used. After 4 hours of fermentation, the product obtained was subjected to vacuum evaporation. The solids content of the product obtained was 45%.

The obtained whey preparation contained 21% ammonium lactate, 14% sugars, 6% hydrolyzed proteins (amino acids, dipeptides, tripeptides, oligopeptides and polypeptides) as well as macro- and microelements.

Example 5:

In the same way as in Example 1, 1 t of curd whey from curd production was introduced into a thermostatted reactor, in which a concentrate of Streptococcus thermophilus had been placed. By adding

37

Ammonia solution, the pH was kept at 6.5 to 7.0,
A total of 6 kg of ammonia solution was consumed. After 4 hours of fermentation, the product was subjected to vacuum evaporation and evaporated to a solids content of 42%.

The final product, lactate-enriched whey concentrate, contained 30% ammonium lactate, 10% sugar, 6% hydrolyzed proteins (amino acids, dipeptides, tripeptides, oligopeptides and polypeptides) and macro- and microelements.

Example 6;

1 t of whey from cheese production was placed in a thermostated tank, whereupon a bacterial concentrate of Streptococcus thermophilus was added at a temperature of 42 ⁰ C. The pH value was adjusted by adding
Ammonia solution was maintained at 5.0, consuming a total of 8 kg of ammonia solution. After a fermentation period of 4 h, the product was evaporated in vacuo, which then had a solids content of 45%.

The final lactate-enriched whey preparation contained 34% ammonium lactate, 3% sugar, 6%
hydrolyzed proteins (amino acids, dipeptides, tripeptides, oligopeptides and polypeptides) as well as macro- and microelements.

Results of feeding trials

The whey preparations according to the invention are ideally suited as animal feed or additives and supplements for animal feed, whereby in addition to the pure nutritional effect,

* * -38

Surprisingly, other beneficial effects occur, e.g. in particular a stimulation of weight gain, fertility and the immune system, as the following results demonstrate.

Example 7;

Pigs aged 3, 6 and 9 months respectively received an addition of untreated acid whey to their feed for 10 days (control group) or an addition of a whey preparation according to the invention enriched with sodium lactate, which was diluted with water to the same solids content as the whey for the control group.

All animals received a daily supplement of 10 g/kg body weight.

The results are summarized in Table 2.

Table 2

Control group Test group Age of animals (m) 3 6 9 3 6 9

Animals per group 10 ,0 11 ,0 12 11 ,5 12 0 10 ,0 medium starting point
weight (kg) 36 45 85 ,5 180 40 ,0 81, 6 164 ,0 middle end
weight (kg) 41 86 15 180 42 15 87, 66 169 50 average daily
Weight gain (kg/day) 0, O, 0 O, O, O,

The results show that even with a short test duration of only 10 days, a significant difference to

· I

Control group. The 3-month-old young animals in the control group show a high daily weight gain, but this decreases to a value of practically zero with increasing age, while the animals in the test group show an initially lower, but then significantly high weight gain with increasing age.

Example 8&idigr;

A whey preparation containing ammonium lactate according to the invention was used as a feed additive for pigs in an amount of 10 g/kg body weight, corresponding to an amount of about 3 g ammonium lactate/kg body weight.

After just one week, the amino nitrogen content in the blood serum of the pigs had increased from 10 mg/ml in the control group, which received no feed supplement, to 17 mg/ml. The same result was obtained with a daily supplement of 15 g/kg body weight, although in this case a slightly increased urea content in the blood serum was found.

In addition to Example 7, the experiments show that the whey preparation according to the invention can be used advantageously as a supplement to increase the protein or amino acid content of the feed, and that even small additional amounts are sufficient for this purpose.

Example 9;

Carp fry were fed for 42 days with a fatty feed containing untreated whey (control group) or a whey preparation according to the invention based on sodium

lactate was added in an appropriate dilution in an amount of 1% each.

The results are summarized in Table 3.

Table 3 Control group Experimental group

Average initial weight (g) 5.73 4.5

Fish mass, total,
at the beginning (kg) 30 30 Number of fish
at the start 5240 6035 middle end
weight (g) 15.7 13.5 Fish mass, total,
at end of test (kg) 79.62 84.62 Number of fish
at the end of the experiment 5214 6034 Feed consumption (kg) 97 97 Increase in fish
mass, total (kg) 49.62 54.62 medium weight
increase (g) 9.54 9.0 medium weight
increase (%) 165 182

The results show that the percentage weight gain in the case of the whey preparation according to the invention is about 10% higher than in the control group.

41

Example 10;

A whey preparation based on sodium lactate according to the invention was added daily in an amount of 1 g/kg body weight to the chicken feed for rearing laying hens. The control group received no feed additive.

The results are summarized in Table 4.

Table 4

Control group Experimental group

Number of chickens

at the beginning 400 400

Number of chickens
at the end of the experiment 392 398 Dead chickens 8th 2 Dead chickens (%) 2.0 0.5 medium weight
at the beginning (g) 1108 1107 medium weight
after 10 days (g) 1180 1248 medium weight
according to 3Od (g) 1423 1491 daily average
Weight gain (g/d) 10.5 12.8

Weight gain
compared to control group (%) 100 121.9

The results show that not only a significant increase in the percentage weight gain of about 22% was achieved,

can be aimed at, but also that the survival rate of the chickens in the case of the test group that received the feed additive according to the invention is significantly higher than in the control group.

Example 11:

A whey preparation based on sodium lactate according to the invention was added daily in an amount of 1 g/kg body weight to the chicken feed for rearing chickens. The control group received no feed additive.

The results are summarized in Table 5.

Table 5

Control group

Number of chickens at the beginning

5000

Test group

5000

Number of chickens after 7 days 4800 4800 average weight in old age
of 7 days (g) 43 43 Animals dead after 5Od 150 81 Survival rate (%) 96.0 98.4 average weight at Ver
seeker (g) 1561.0 1678.0 daily average weight
increase (g/d) 26.6 28.7 Weight gain compared to
Control group (%) 100.0 108.0 Total mass (kg) 7053.0 7712.0

43

The results of this example also show that in addition to the increase in the percentage weight gain, which here is about 8%, a significant increase in the survival rate was achieved.

Example 12;

A whey preparation based on sodium lactate according to the invention was used as a feed additive in mink farming. The daily supplementary amount was 2 g/kg body weight. The tests were carried out over a period of 30 days.

The results obtained are summarized in Table 6.

Table 6

Control group Test group Number of animals
at the start 25 25 Number of animals at
End of experiment 13 25 dead animals 12 0 Survival rate (%) 52 100

mean weight gain compared to control group (%)

female animals 100 116.9

male animals 100 117.8

The results of Table 6 show that the survival rate of the animals fed using the feed additive according to the invention is 100%, while the survival rate in the case of the control group is only 52%. Furthermore

it is clear that the average weight gain is 17% and 18% higher than in the control group. This means that in this example, too, there is an effect that is significantly outside the error limits.

Example 13:

The example refers to the determination of the increase in fertility of female mink and arctic fox.

During a test period of 6 months, the animals were given a feed supplement according to the invention based on sodium lactate in a daily amount of 2 g/kg body weight. The animals in the control group received no feed supplement.

The results obtained are shown in Table 7.

Table 7

Average number of pups/litter

Control group Experimental group

Mink 4.0 4.7

Arctic fox 6.0 8.7

In the case of female minks, the administration of the feed additive according to the invention results in an increase in fertility of 12% and in the case of female arctic foxes, an increase of 23%.

These results clearly demonstrate the stimulation effect that can be achieved with small doses of the drug,

45

caused by the whey preparations according to the invention.

Example 14:

A whey preparation according to the invention based on sodium lactate was used as a feed additive in sturgeon rearing. The feed consisted of a mixture of microcrustaceans and fat, into which the whey preparation according to the invention could easily be incorporated. The additional amount was 1 g whey preparation/kg of fry. The feed was administered 45 times a day.

The survival rate was determined on day 19.

The survival rate of the hatched fry up to day 19 in the control experiment, in which no feed additive was used, was only 15%, while in the case of the feed additive according to the invention a survival rate of 60% resulted.

The low survival rate of the fry is known to be one of the major problems and a serious cost factor in sturgeon farming. The completely unexpectedly high increase in the survival rate that can be achieved by the feed additive according to the invention shows that these products can also be used in fish farming in an extremely economically advantageous manner.

The process for producing the whey preparations according to the invention can be controlled, as explained above, in such a way that all of the lactose present in the whey used is converted to lactic acid. Streptococcus species in which the formation of lactic acid

homofermentative, i.e. without the formation of CO ₂ and thus C loss. Lactic acid is an important material in many areas of technology. For example, lactic acid is used as a preservative for food and can be used to partially or completely replace acetic acid, citric acid and other organic acids, as well as other acidifying agents, for example in drinks. Lactic acid is also widely used in electroplating, the paint and varnish industry and in the leather industry. Using the process according to the invention, lactic acid can be produced from whey in considerably shorter reaction times than with the prior art, which makes it possible to reduce production costs by half to a third.

Example 15:

The example refers to the demonstration that the excretion of ^XJ 'Cs in animal experiments is significantly increased when a whey preparation according to the invention is added to the feed.

White rats with a body weight of 180 to 200 g in two groups of five animals each were administered 0.5 ml of a ¹³⁷ CsCl solution with a specific activity of 0.6 μσσ/ηδ via a gastric tube for 4 days. One group (test group) was administered a whey preparation according to the invention in an amount of 5 g/kg body weight in addition to food during the test period of 4 days.

The second group (control group) received normal food.

The amounts of ^137Cs excreted in feces and urine were measured daily spectroradiometrically.

The results obtained are summarized in Table 8. The results show that the animals fed using the whey preparation according to the invention had a moderately increased ¹³⁷ Cs excretion via the faeces and in particular a significantly increased ¹³⁷ Cs excretion via the urine compared to the control group, which corresponded to a maximum factor of about 3.8 (1st day) and on average over 4 days to a factor of about 2.8.

Table 8

· · ■

Control group feces %
standardized urine %
standardized feces Test group urine % the
Control gr.
*
&bull; * * Excluded.
Crowd 100 Excluded.
Crowd
(%)■ 100 Excluded.
Crowd Excluded.
Crowd
(%) ■ 377.2 " ·
* Day 2.29 100 1.49 100 1.80 % the
Control gr. 5.62 &bull;
194.5 '
»· ' 9 » 1. 1.17 100 1.55 100 1.25 78.9 3.00 239.6 &bull; *
* »■« 2. 0.86 100 1.11 100 0.94 106.9 2.66 291.5 " It
»* 3. 0.70 100 0.94 100 1/36. 109.3 2.74 275.7 4. 5.02 5.09 5.35 194.3 14.02 total 106.6

OO

49

Example 16:

A whey preparation according to the invention was produced using acidic whey as starting material, fermented with a Streptococcus strain and the pH value was maintained at 6.75 with NaOH until approximately 100% lactose conversion.

The product was tested for its vitamin content. The results are summarized in Table 9.

Table 9

C CV
PP mmgeha
^B i _d ilt (&mgr;&sfgr;
^B2 r/ioo
E G)
ß-carotene ^B6 Starting whey 0.5 0.14 0.03 0.11 0.03 Sense 0.12 According to the invention.
Whey preparation 7.7 0.20 0.058 0.106 0.22 0.82 0.04 According to the invention.
Whey preparation 5.6 0.63 0.091 0.485 0.19 3.8 0.19

Nicotinic acid (amide) dry matter content 6.5% by mass Dry matter content 40% by mass

The results in Table 9 show that the whey preparations according to the invention have an advantageous vitamin content compared to the starting material.

Example 17:

A whey preparation was prepared from previously pasteurized acid whey from curd production using a Streptococcus lactis strain and keeping the pH constant.

value with ammonia solution to pH 6.75. The
Table 10 below shows the amino acid composition
of the starting whey and the whey preparations according to the invention after 3, 5 and 8 hours of fermentation, respectively. After about 5 hours of fermentation, there was practically no glucose left (only
Galactose), while after about 8 hours of fermentation practically 100% lactate formation is present.

Table 10

amino acid Output Sum of Amino 68.16 Whey preparation according to the invention after 5 hours after 8 hours (g/kg dry whey acids after 3 hours Dimensions) eat from it 11.06 9.40 Aspartic acid 6.97 tial Amino 31.15 8.47 5.37 4.20 Threonine 2.68 acids 3.85 6.56 5.00 Serine 3.31 4.35 20.0 17.44 Glutamic acid 13,13 14.43 10.15 7.86 Proline 5.75 8.45 6.24 4.11 Glycine 1.90 2.78 7.33 6.74 Alanine 3.39 4.81 0.36 0.32 Cystine 0.60 0.44 5.78 4.64 Valine 3.43 4.15 0.91 0.73 Methionine 0.50 0.62 4.92 4.62 ' Isoleucine 4.24 3.94 8.82 8.75 Leucin 6, 66 7.01 3.31 3.24 Tyrosine 1.96 2.17 3.64 3.67 Phenylalanine 2.54 2.78 5.22 6.19 Histidine 1.45 3.47 10.87 11.33 Lysine 6.0 7.76 7.88 8.03 Arginine 2.65 4.78 2.55 2.67 Tryptophan 1.00 1.73 120.97 108.94 85.99 55.96 54.83 40.09

The results in Table 10 show that the whey preparations according to the invention have a more or less significantly increased content of amino acids compared to the starting material.

which is particularly important with regard to essential amino acids.

The experiments also show that in order to optimize the amino acid content, it is beneficial to stop the fermentation or cultivation at a lactose depletion level of < 100%, since then (see, for example, the results after 5 hours of fermentation) the highest amino acid contents can be achieved.

The whey preparations according to the invention are suitable in human and veterinary medicine for the prevention and treatment of numerous diseases. Corresponding pharmaceutical agents contain at least one whey preparation according to the invention in addition to pharmaceutically usual excipients and/or carriers.

The following examples illustrate the broad pharmacological and medical applicability of whey preparations according to the invention based on the results of clinical studies.

Clinical trials have demonstrated curative effects on the diseases listed in Table 11 below.

* * .**
·« · » &bull; * «»■ ■ « ···· · · &bull; t«· · ·· 52 11 Table

Disease Administration of the whey preparation in galenic formulation

ENT infections:

- Rhinitis {acute, chronic) Hemariitis

- Tonsillitis

Rinsing the nasal cavities

Gargling and rinsing the tonsils

Gastrointestinal diseases:

- Gastritis

- Cholecystitis

- Esophagitis (terminal)

- Stomach ulcers

- Pancreatic reflux

- Duodenal bulbitis

- Duodenal ulcers

- Colitis

- Dysbacteriosis

&rgr;.&ogr;.

&rgr;.&ogr;. + enemas &rgr;.&ogr;. + enemas

Eye diseases:

- Conjunctivitis rinse, pH 7-8, phys, solution

Dermatology:

- Dermatitis

- Skin irritations

- Hidrosis

- Neurodermatitis

- Psoriasis

- Eczema

- Decubitus ulcer

external use

Urology:

- urethritis

- Pyonephritis

- Polyarthritis urethra

Rinse, in Ringer's solution pH 7.0 - 7.5

Surgery:

- Phlebitis

- Panaritium

- Furunculosis

Dental medicine:

- Periodontitis

external application in physiological solution

Mouthwash

The information in Table 11 shows that the whey preparations according to the invention can be used in numerous therapeutic areas.

The oral administration of whey preparations leads, apart from the nutritional benefits, to beneficial effects in the gastrointestinal tract due to the presence of physiologically compatible microorganisms and their lysis products, in particular to a normalization of the small and large intestinal flora and motility. Furthermore, anti-inflammatory effects can be achieved in the gastrointestinal tract with the whey preparations according to the invention.

The drug is administered in a galenic formulation adapted to the application and which is familiar to the pharmacologist.

The whey preparations according to the invention are, as the above description shows, used in numerous fields of application with

extraordinary advantages. A particularly important aspect of the invention is that the whey preparations are in no way comparable, both chemically and bacteriologically, with the whey used as the starting material, since due to the microorganisms used and still present in the preparation in viable and lysed form, the preparations according to the invention contain an extraordinarily rich spectrum of biochemically important substances, which include amino acids, oligopeptides and polypeptides, vitamins, polysaccharides and electrolytes, as well as RNA and DNA fragments and in particular proteolytic enzymes.

Special advantages associated with the invention are:

- Controllable lactose content or up to 100% lactose degradation of the lactose contained in the starting material;

- Increased nutritional value compared to conventional whey due to the high protein and amino acid content, particularly due to the biomass of the microorganisms present;

- Stimulation of physiological functions, which can be particularly exploited in animal nutrition and animal breeding, e.g. increasing the immune system, increasing the fertility rate, increasing weight gain, increasing the survival rate of young animals;

- manufacturability of new foods and dietetic foods for human consumption, including infant nutrition;

- novel pharmacological applications;

- Opening up a path to economically profitable utilization of the entire quantity of whey produced;

Possibility of economically producing high-quality products such as ß-galactosidase or certain cell components.

Claims (28)

Expectations 1. Lactose-depleted whey preparations obtained by fermentation of whey using a lactose-degrading microorganism and neutralisation of the reaction mixture with a base, available through - Use of one or more microorganisms of the genus Streptococcus as lactose-degrading microorganisms and - Setting and maintaining a pH value in the range of 4.0 to 8.5 throughout the entire fermentation period by adding the appropriate base. 2. Whey preparations according to claim 1, obtainable using acid whey as starting material. 3. Whey preparations according to claim 1 and/or 2, obtainable using sweet whey to which at least about 30% by mass of acid whey is added as starting material . 127-X 2620-GM-SF-Bk 4. Whey preparations according to one or more of claims 1 to 3, obtainable using NaOH, KOH, Ca(OH) ₂ or milk of lime and/or ammonia (ammonium hydroxide) as base. 5. Whey preparations according to one or more of claims 1 to 4, obtainable using one or more microorganism strains which, in addition to the conversion of lactose into galactose and glucose by ß-galactosidase - epimerize galactose to glucose and - convert glucose into lactic acid. 6. Whey preparations according to one or more of claims 1 to 5, obtainable using microorganism strains which convert glucose into lactic acid or lactate by homofermentation via the fructose biphosphate pathway or heterofermentation via the pentose phosphate pathway. 7. Whey preparations according to one of claims 1 to 6, obtainable using Streptococcus lactis and/or Streptococcus thermophilus as microorganisms. 8. Whey preparations according to one or more of claims 1 to 7, obtainable while maintaining a pH value of 6.5 to 7.5, preferably of 6.5 to 7.0 and even more preferably of 6.7 + 0.1 during fermentation. 9. Whey preparations according to one or more of claims 1 to 7, obtainable while maintaining a pH Value of 7.5 to 8.5 and preferably 8.0 to 8.5 during fermentation. 10. Whey preparations according to one or more of claims 1 to 7, obtainable by maintaining a pH of about 5.0 during fermentation. 11. Whey preparations according to one or more of claims 1 to 10, obtainable by fermentation at a temperature of 28 to 48 ⁰ C and preferably from 32 to 40 ⁰ C. 12. Whey preparations according to one or more of claims 1 to 11, obtainable by fermentation for a period of 2 to 10 hours and preferably 4 to 6 hours. 13. Whey preparations according to one or more of claims 1 to 12, obtainable while maintaining the pH value by continuous, quasi-continuous or intermittent pH-controlled addition of the base, preferably in a closed control loop. 14. Whey preparations according to one or more of claims 1 to 13, obtainable by concentrating the fermentation broth after fermentation by evaporation at normal pressure or in a vacuum and/or by ultrafiltration at a temperature < 55 ⁰ C and preferably < 50 ^0C . 15. Whey preparations according to one or more of claims 1 to 14, obtainable in that after adding the microorganisms used for fermentation to the whey used at the beginning of fermentation, a pH value of about 4 is initially left or adjusted and the pH adjustment and pH maintenance on the
specified value after lactic acid or lactate formation has begun. 16. Whey preparations according to one or more of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that they are in the form of a
solid powder. 17. Whey preparations according to one or more of claims 1 to 16, characterized by - a dry matter content of 30 to 45% by mass and preferably 42 to 45% by mass; - a lactate content of 6 to 36% by mass, - a lactose content of 0.6 to 28% by mass, - a galactose content of 0.7 to 14% by mass and - a glucose content of 0.1 to 10% by mass. 18. Whey preparations according to one or more of claims 1 to 17, characterized in that they contain probiotic
Substances such as AMP, ADP and ATP, cytosine monophosphate,
-diphosphate and -triphosphate, amino acids, including essential amino acids, oligopeptides
as well as vitamins A, Bl, B2, B3, B4, B6, B12, C, E, H, K, T and folic acid as well as microelements such as Fe, Cu, Co
and Zn. 19. Whey preparations according to one or more of claims 1 to 18, obtainable by concentrating the fermentation broth at least until a solid
product (wet concentrate), whereby a temperature of 55 ⁰ C and preferably 50 ⁰ C is not exceeded. 20. ß-Galactosidase preparations available from - Fermentation of whey using one or more microorganisms of the genus Streptococcus as lactose-degrading microorganisms, - Setting and maintaining a pH value in the range of 7.5 to 8.0 throughout the entire fermentation period by adding a base, - Separation of solids from the whey product obtained after fermentation, in particular by centrifugation , and - Separation of ß-galactosidase from the liquid medium by ultrafiltration in the form of an aqueous concentrate and, where applicable, - Extraction of solid, preferably crystalline ß-galactosidase from the aqueous concentrate. 21. Pharmaceutical agents, characterized by one or more whey preparations according to one of claims 1 to as active ingredient. 22. Feedstuffs or feed additives, characterized in that they contain or consist of one or more whey preparations according to claims 1 to 19. 23. Feed according to claim 22, characterized by a mixture of straw with a whey preparation according to one of claims 1 to 19. 24. Feed according to claim 23, characterized by a mixture of straw with the whey preparation in a mass ratio of about 5:1. 25. Feed according to claim 23 and/or 24, obtainable by conditioning the mixture of straw and whey preparation at a temperature in the range of 20 to 50 ⁰ C. 26. Fertilizer, characterized by a whey preparation according to one of claims 1 to 19. 27. Dietary foods, characterized in that they contain or consist of one or more whey preparations according to claims 1 to 19. 28. Foodstuffs or food additives, characterized in that they contain or consist of at least one whey preparation according to claims 1 to 19. · &bull; *