Valley Queen, the South Dakota-based dairy processor, will produce ingredients from the Nutrilac ProteinBoost product range.

The patented micro-particulate whey protein concentrate increases protein levels in food and beverage products while retaining texture and taste.

Luis Cubel, Group Vice President and Managing Director of Arla Foods Ingredients, said: “Demand for protein-enriched dairy products continues to grow in the US. In order to meet it, and to fulfil our ambitious plans for growth in North America, it was essential for us to significantly increase our capacity for the production of Nutrilac® ProteinBoost.

 “At the same time, it was important for us to choose a partner with the right values, history and expertise. We’re delighted to work with Valley Queen, a company with a long heritage which shares our commitment to producing dairy and whey products of the highest quality.”

Doug Wilke, the CEO of Valley Queen, expressed enthusiasm about the collaboration with Arla Foods Ingredients. He highlighted that both companies are committed to addressing the requirements of American manufacturers and consumers.

Wilke praised Nutrilac ProteinBoost as an innovative ingredient that enables the creation of attractive dairy products enriched with high-quality protein.

He also conveyed excitement about moving forward with its production and anticipated a fruitful long-term partnership with a global leader in whey nutrition.

The company stated that production of Nutrilac ProteinBoost is expected after installing new speciality equipment.

In addition to the new partnership, the company installed an electric boiler at its Danmark Protein whey processing plant in Videbaek, Denmark, to reduce carbon emissions.

The 16-megawatt electric boiler replaces two gas boilers and generates steam for spray-drying towers that produce powdered whey ingredients, contributing five percent toward its target of reducing Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 42% from 2015 to 2030.

Thomas Lauritsen, global sustainability manager at Arla Foods Ingredients, stated that the electrification of energy-intensive processes is essential for achieving the company’s climate targets while meeting the increasing demand for high-quality whey ingredients.