Protient expects the plant to produce 10 million pounds of whey protein isolate a year. This is in addition to a factory in Mountain Lake, Minnesota, which has been in operation since June 2000.
"This expansion will help us meet the needs of our customers as we continue to focus on making value-added products for the food industry," said Tom Yezzi, vice president of operations at Protient.
Protient's bland flavored whey protein isolate is used primarily in low carbohydrate products, nutrition bars, and powdered beverages. The product is available in liquid, agglomerated, and spray dried powders.
Doug Clairday, national sales manager at Protient, explained that it is very much the functional foods industry that is driving the increase in whey consumption.
"Consumers generally are demanding more healthier ready-to-go meals, which means that whey is becoming a mainstream product," said Clairday. "Products that before were only found in health food stores are now available in grocery stores."
According to a survey carried out last year by market analysts Zenith, food processors looking for value added products are turning increasingly towards whey products. A far cry from only a few years ago when whey was perceived as simply a milk powder substitute.
The report claimed that in 2002 consumption of the four main whey product sectors - sweet whey, demineralised whey, whey protein concentrates (WPC) and whey protein isolates WPI - edged up to nearly 770,000 tonnes. With the development of new functional foods and drinks, particularly adult and sports nutrition products, leading to increased usage of WPC and WPI.
"Traditionally, whey has been seen as a substitute for milk powder during periods of price fluctuations on the world market. However, the food industry's perception of whey is changing. Added value variants are now also beginning to become important functional ingredients," said John Meropoulos, senior market consultant at Zenith for the development of new functional foods and drinks.