The global market for whey and lactose ingredients will increase by 20 percent as the dairy industry focuses more on healthy and nutritional products, a new report forecasts.
The report by 3A Business Consulting highlights the growing need for dairy groups to stay on top of the consumer demand for products with added-value nutritional benefits. The findings suggest that the market for ingredients such as whey protein concentrate could experience three per cent to five percent annual growth to 2010.
However, the largest gains for the market will be made advanced value-added forms of whey, such as fractions and derivatives, which could grow potentially as much as 20 percent per year, according to the analyst. The market for ingredients like whey protein fractions will post the highest growth, though renewed research into applications for lactose is expected to drive interest in lactulose, lactitol and galactooligosaccharides (GOS).
Last year, the market for whey products reached $6 billion in sales globally, while lactose-based goods over the same period were valued at around $3 billion, the report added. The findings suggest that growing demand for whey and lactose is a result of their continued use in everyday processed foods. However, future growth is expected to be led by the industry’s increasing focus on nutritional products, particularly in the dietary, sports and clinical segments of the market.
A spokesperson for 3A told DairyReporter.com that the emerging market of China was showing significant growth in demand for whey powder and lactose.