Water-lactose behavior as a function of concentration and presence of lactic acid in lactose model systems

The presence of high amounts of lactic acid in acid whey restricts its ability to be further processed because lactose appears to remain in its amorphous form. A systematic study is lacking in this regard especially during the concentration step. Hence, the main aim of the study was to establish the structure and behavior of water molecules surrounding lactose in the presence of 1% (wt/wt) lactic acid at a concentration up to 50% (wt/wt). Furthermore, the crystallization nature of freeze-dried lactose with or without lactic acid was established using differential scanning calorimetry and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Two mechanisms were proposed to describe the behavior of water molecules around lactose molecules during the concentration of pure lactose and lactose solutions with lactic acid. Pure lactose solution exhibited a water evaporation enthalpy of ~679 J·g-1, whereas lactose + lactic acid solution resulted in ~965 J·g-1 at a 50% (wt/wt) concentration. This indicates a greater energy requirement for water removal around lactose in the presence of lactic acid. Higher crystallization temperatures were observed with the presence of lactic acid, indicating a delay in crystallization. Furthermore, less crystalline lactose (~12%) was obtained in the presence of lactic acid, indicating high amorphous nature compared with pure lactose where ~50% crystallinity was obtained. The Fourier transform infrared spectra revealed that the strong hydration layer consisting lactic acid and H3O+ ions surrounded lactose molecules via strong H bonds, which restricted water mobility, induced a change in structure of lactose, or both, creating unfavorable conditions for lactose crystallization. Thus, partial or complete removal of lactic acid from acid whey may be the first step toward improving the ability of acid whey to be processed.