FDBusiness.com

The American dairy co-operative United Dairymen of Arizona (UDA) will partner with FrieslandCampina to bring lactoferrin to the market. Lactoferrin is naturally present in both cow’s milk and human milk. A number of studies have shown several potential health benefits of Lactoferrin, including anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory activity. Lactoferrin is a specialty ingredient in early life nutrition.

The partnership has a capacity to produce 10 tons of lactoferrin per year and both companies see this as an opportunity for further collaboration.

“Partnering with FrieslandCampina has been an honor for our co-operative. The fact that they’ve chosen Arizona milk to contribute to their global lactoferrin business is very exciting. We are very proud of our farmers for their commitment to animal care, without which we wouldn’t get such high-quality milk” says Keith Murfield, chief executive of UDA. UDA dairy farms have a longstanding reputation for consistent milk supply that will benefit the new joint venture for years to come.

“We are excited about the new partnership because of the common values, history and structure of our companies, and it fits our strategic ambitions on lactoferrin. Our technology and extensive experience, combined with the high-quality milk of UDA, will ensure a product that meets global quality – and regulatory requirements for early life nutrition” says Kathy Fortmann, president of FrieslandCampina Ingredients. FrieslandCampina expects to announce further lactoferrin capacity expansion plans soon.