News

Institute of dairy science & probiotics tested the antimicrobial activity of lactoferrin produced by ARHEL in comparison with three commercial products on the market.

In May 2019, we attended the Vitafoods Europe fair in Geneva to learn about food supplements, nutraceuticals, new technological processes and formulations. We were particularly interested in whey protein and probiotic products. Their use has been increasing lately. They are becoming an important component of sports diets, enriched and hypoallergenic infant formulas, dietary diets for the elderly population and, among other things, natural remedies for protection against type 2 diabetes, alleviating insomnia, strengthening immunity.

At the Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, University of Maribor, we conducted the first microfiltration tests on a filtration system, which was designed and manufactured at Arhel.

The project has achieved a significant milestone! 

Demonstration plant is installed.

At the symposium, the contents of the LIFE for Acid whey project were presented with the lecture Finding New ways to use whey - a by-product of milk processing.
Twenty-two presentations at the December 6, 2018 event in Velenje covered a wide range of scientific and technical knowledge in the fields of environmental protection, nature protection, environmental technologies and sustainable development, which are combined in interdisciplinary study programs of the College higher education programm. The Symposium also featured a Proceedings.

The event was organized as part of the Slovenian LIFE capacity building project. We were happy to share our experiences with all those interested in this European LIFE financial mechanism.

At the conference we presented the first results o LIFE for Acid Whey project with two contributions.

The Symposium organized by the Croatian Dairy Cooperative will take place in Lovran, Croatia, between 7 and 10 November 2018.

Presentation of the process of extraction of lactoferrin from acid whey and its antimicrobial activity.

Pogoj je zaključen doktorat s področja kemije, biokemije, živilstva, biotehnologije ali sorodnih smeri.

In the context of the project LIFE Capacity Building Slovenia the Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning organised the second LIFE international networking conference entitled “LIFE farming – environmentally sustainable agriculture”. 

The conference took place on 8th and 9th May 2018. 

 On the second day (9th May) a networking event was taken place at the Brdo Congress Centre, Brdo pri Kranju, Slovenia where also LIFE for Acid Whey was present.

The project team of the LIFE Capacity Building project of the Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning presented in the EOL magazine the supported LIFE projects in the field of circular economy.

In the framework of LIFE for Acid Whey project, we visited the ANUGA FoodTec fair in Cologne Gemany, to stay in touch with up-to-date technologies for separation and drying of milk and whey.

Networking with existing and completed projects with related content is an important activity of the LIFE for Acid Whey project.

In Arhel, we are very proud of the excellent results of lactoferrin activity obtained from whey within the LIFE for Acid Whey project. In comparing the analysis with other commercially available lactoferrins and the standard, our lactoferrin exhibits the highest iron binding capacity or very low saturation with iron.

After coagulation of casein and albumin from milk in standard methods of curd production, whey remains, in which a small amount of so-called
whey proteins is still present. Many of them, such as lactoferrin, are important physiologically active substances. Using monolithic
chromatographic columns in the LIFE for Acid Whey project, we have already achieved excellent results in sequential separation of  individual whey protein groups and high purity and the efficiency of lactoferrin extraction.

On 30 November 2017, we were pleased to present the results that we achieved in the first five months of the project. Besides several preparatory studies, we optimised the method of extraction of lactoferrin from acid whey and obtained the first samples of the product of high purity and activity.

We attended the official International conference on lactoferrin in Rome. The six days of lectures confirm the high relevance of the topic. The conference presented the latest findings in the field of characterisation and quality control of lactoferrin, new findings in the field of lactoferrin functions in the organism, its new ways of use for health protection and improvement and ways of its production.

The project LIFE Slovenia presents a collection of Slovenian LIFE projects

In Brussels, in the company of confirmed LIFE project in 2016, we got to know with the meaning of the LIFE programme in the European Union, the project management rules and presented our project to other participants and a group of potential investors. The event was a great opportunity to establish the first contact with representatives of projects with related content.

In October 2017, we will attend a kick-off meeting in Brussels, organised for all newly approved LIFE16 projects. We will present our project, which has been selected by European Commission as a project with a high “close to market” potential, to investors from “cleantech” sector in the frame of a special event.

In the document, we have presented a brief presentation of the objectives and content of the project.

The project LIFE for Acid Whey can be found in the database of the European Commission LIFE projects.

On July the 1st 2017, we have officially started with the project Reuse of waste acid whey for extraction of high added value bioactive proteins »LIFE for Acid Whey«. The project is co-financed by European Commission in the frame of the LIFE Programme.