The lactose from Ricotta cheese whey: the effect of pH and concentration on size and morphology of lactose crystals

Scotta is a by-product from the Ricotta cheese production, which has been studied insufficiently, and that may be the reason of scotta not being widely used for the industrial purpose. The aim of the following research was to study scotta as a raw material for the lactose production and the process of crystallization at different pH levels and concentration factors. In the case, crystallization was carried out at six different pH levels and five concentration factors. The optimum acidity for lactose crystallization was determined close to be at pH 4; at higher or lower pH levels the growth of crystals was inhibited. The relationship between the dimensions of crystals and the concentration factor corresponded to data provided in the literature for the conventional cheese whey. The qualitative properties of the crystals obtained under the examined and recommended conditions were similar to the qualitative properties of crystals reported in the related literature about the cheese whey. It was demonstrated that scotta has a great potential for lactose production, and our results can be used for optimizing the industrial process.