Abstract: Methods for processing acid whey, involving treating acid whey solution with ?-galactosidase and/or ?-galactosidase, at a pH of about 3.2 to about 5.2 for about 20 minutes to about 16 hours at about 20° C. to about 60° C. to produce an acid whey solution containing at least about 40% less lactose than the original acid whey solution, filtrating the tempered acid whey solution to form a retentate containing proteins and a permeate containing lactose and residual proteins, recovering lactose from the permeate, optionally drying the retentate to form acid whey powder, and optionally texturizing the acid whey powder.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a dietary composition produced by a process involving extruding a protein containing product and water through an extruder (e.g., at about 50-about 450 rpm and at a temperature of about 40° to about 120° C., wherein the residence time of the protein containing product (e.g., whey protein isolate) in the extruder is about 15-about 90 seconds) to produce the dietary composition, wherein the dietary composition contains partially denatured protein containing product or totally denatured protein containing product or mixtures thereof. The present invention also concerns a food product containing at least one food ingredient and a dietary fiber composition.

Abstract: A dietary composition produced by a process involving extruding a protein containing product and optionally water through an extruder at about 50 to about 400 rpm and at a temperature of about ?10° to about 30° C. to produce the dietary composition, wherein the undenatured proteins in the protein containing product are not denatured by the process. Preferably some of the denatured proteins in the protein containing product are undenatured (renatured) by the process.

Abstract: Disclosed is a dietary fiber composition produced by a process involving cooking a calcium caseinate or calcium caseinate and whey protein isolate slurry (containing no more than 50% whey protein isolate) in an evaporator to produce a slurry of cross-linked matrices of protein, adding dietary fiber to the slurry of cross-linked matrices of protein to form a mixture, and spray atomizing the mixture in a spray dryer to produce the dietary fiber composition. Also disclosed is a fiber enriched food product containing at least one food ingredient and the dietary fiber composition. Additionally, there is disclosed a method of making a fiber enriched food product involving mixing one or more food ingredients with the dietary fiber composition. Furthermore, there is disclosed a method of increasing fiber in the diet of a mammal involving feeding to the mammal the fiber enriched food product.

Abstract: The invention provides an air-assisted wiping device for use in a continuous-spray dryer. The air-assisted wiping device rotates inside the housing to continuously wipe heavy sticky powder from the walls of the housing using a wiper blade. The air-assisted wiping device includes an elongated hollow plenum having a flow-directing slot disposed along its length. Air received into the elongated hollow plenum is passed through the flow-directing slot onto a wiper blade, which is coupled to the elongated hollow plenum. The air discharged onto the wiper blade removes powder that collects on the leading side of the wiper blade.