ADPI Annual Conference: Milk Permeate and Dairy 360 with KJ Burrington

Reese Clark:

Hi there. Welcome to the Milk Theory podcast. My name is Reese Clark, and I am honored to be joined by KJ Burrington, the Vice President of Technical Development of ADPI for our very first video podcast episode. Thank you so much for joining us, KJ.

KJ Burrington:

Thank you, Reese. I'm excited about this.

Reese Clark:

Absolutely. Likewise. We're so happy to have you here. Now. Tell me a little bit about your career and what made you decide to pursue a career in dairy?

KJ Burrington:

Yeah, so that's a good question. I started out as a food scientist. There's a lot of food scientists that work in dairy, and I spent about, actually about 10 years in the baking industry before I got into dairy. So I really grew my love for dairy by being at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. And I got my master's and did a dairy project, but then the jobs were such that I just went into the baking industry. But what that does for you is it gets you familiar with a whole nother product category, and there's a lot of dairy ingredients that get used in baking. So I think it helped me to be a better product developer. And then when I ended up at the Center for Dairy Research, they started a away applications program. So that baking background really helped. And then of course, we developed a lot of other products that used whey ingredients and then eventually added a lot of milk protein ingredients. So over the course of that time, I will say I got exposed to so many different product areas and working on a lot of different projects.

Reese Clark:

That's amazing. Okay. Very cool. So when you were in the baking field and you made that leap over into dairy, what was the first thing you fell in love with when you just started to dive into just the dairy space? Was it the nutrients or just the versatility of milk? What was it that you really gravitated towards?

KJ Burrington:

So a lot of it was the functionality because dairy ingredients, we have so many different ones and they have very unique functionality. So whether it's a milk protein or a whey protein or a lactose or a permeate, they all come with their own unique properties. And getting to know those is sort of key to learning how to do product development with them. But it's all very fun for me,

Reese Clark:

Of course. What is your favorite type of problem you like to solve with your constituents in this space when they consult you? You are a member of the Center of Excellence. Am I right? And so when people do touch base with you, what's your favorite type of problem you love to tackle when it comes to wrestling with dairy ingredients?

KJ Burrington:

Well, I really like to talk to people about ingredients that they've never used before, and permeate would be one of those. So permeate is not very well known. I mean, even though it's been available in dry form for quite a long time, not that many people are familiar with it. So the fun part is teaching them something new, teaching them about the properties and the performance of the ingredient, but also what it can bring nutritionally. And it's just fun to be on the other end of the line when they kind of go,

Reese Clark:

Yeah, see something they can do. Let's jump in a little bit into that milk permeate ingredient. Tell me a little bit about the history of what it historically has been used for and where it's going as we look to the future.

KJ Burrington:

So milk permeate has another counterpart, right? Whey permeate.

Reese Clark:

Yes.

KJ Burrington:

And whey permeate actually came into the industry first as a dry product, but there's a lot of variability in whey permeate because also it's a co-product of processing a whey protein ingredient. And depending on what cheese you make or how your process works, you can end up with a product that can maybe be a little lower in pH or can have a little more whe flavor, maybe have a little more color. So it tends to be a little more variable, or it for sure was when they first started being introduced into the market. Milk permeate, on the other hand, because it comes from milk, it has a very clean, consistent flavor. The color is very consistent and it's both taste good, but you get a lot less variability and a milk permeate product, and it makes it so easy to incorporate into different foods because of that clean, consistent taste.

Reese Clark:

Okay. Now, is it true that a lot of it gets thrown into skim milk standardization or things like that, or animal feed even? Was that for a time and now it's kind of branching out?

KJ Burrington:

Yeah, definitely. I would say probably the number one use was for making skim milk powder or standardizing non-fat dry milk powder,

Reese Clark:

Yes.

KJ Burrington:

But I think it's kind of gradually working its way into other applications and animal feed. It certainly is still there. If people don't have the ability to dry their milk permeate, then more than likely it's going to an animal feed type of an outlet.

Reese Clark:

I see. What would be the different use cases for using a liquid or permeate versus dry? Why would you pick one over the other?

KJ Burrington:

So I think you would only be able to use a liquid if you have a facility that can take in fluid products in bulk. So if it comes in a truck or maybe in a tote, that would be about the only way that you could handle a liquid milk permit, mate. Okay. So if you don't have that capability, then you're going to have to receive the product in a d ry form.

Reese Clark:

I see.

KJ Burrington:

And of course, the shelf life is very different between those two. So the shelf life of fluid products is pretty short. Yes. Maybe a week or two. And then a dry product, of course, you can keep easily for a couple of years. So It's a lot easier for a manufacturer to buy a dry product.

Reese Clark:

I see. Okay. Now, when it comes to some of the features and functionality of milk permeate, when we talk about how it impacts flavor, what's your perspective on that? What do you see it most used for people who are looking to enhance the flavor of their end product?

KJ Burrington:

Yeah, so the nice thing about milk permeated is that it comes with this great package of minerals with it. It's not just lactose though. There's a lot of lactose there. You have this great package of milk minerals that I think people kind of forget about. And one of those, or a couple of those, one of them is potassium, which is of course a very important nutrient. And it's one of these nutrients that's usually kind of low in people's diet and everybody could use more. Of course, it has calcium, which is always something that people need, but you still come along with also some magnesium and some phosphorus, and there's a very long list actually, of minerals there. Plus there's also vitamins. And I don't think people really think about that. Depending on the amount you use in your product, it can really impact your nutritional label.

Reese Clark:

Wow, okay. I've seen it in some wild things recently, even sports drinks and actually clear sports drinks, like a product from milk thrown into a sports drink. And is that because of the electrolyte benefits or something in it in there?

KJ Burrington:

So that product was built off of the fact that there were previous studies using milk and measuring the ability of milk to actually hydrate you compared to water. And compared to sports drinks and milk has that ability to be much more hydrating than water or po pular sports drinks.

Reese Clark:

Really?

KJ Burrington:

Isn't that crazy?

Reese Clark:

No one ever talks about that.

KJ Burrington:

No one ever talks about that. So even if you just drink a glass of milk, it helps with your hydration.

Reese Clark:

No way.

KJ Burrington:

But lots of people don't like to use milk if you're thirsty. It's not one of these really refreshing kinds of products. If you think about it, if you're sweaty and thirsty, you don't think to get a glass of milk, but if you take milk permeate and you make a drink out of it, and so that drink has been commercialized, also had a few studies done clinical studies done using it, and every single time it comes out that it's more hydrating than water and more hydrating than popular sports drinks.

Reese Clark:

That's amazing. I don't think I've ever heard that before. I knew there was the hydration component within milk, but more hydrating than water is kind of wild. That's crazy.

KJ Burrington:

So the naturally occurring sodium and potassium, which everybody has to add to their sports drinks in a milkmaid based drink, they're already there. So you can just take in the benefits and your body just is really happy about that combination of electrolytes.

Reese Clark:

Okay. And it's familiar with it. Okay. That's fascinating. Dang, that just blew my mind. What do you know? So with coloring now with milk permeate, I know people use it and I know some end baked goods and that it could actually impact coloring. And is that really common? Their people are focusing on the end product and its presentation and they will insert ingredient such as milk permeate to make it look more appetizing?

KJ Burrington:

Yeah, they definitely could do that. So because we have, I guess more concerns about added colors and things like that in the baking world, sometimes very often companies will add something like caramel color to get that nice brown looking brown color on the surface. Well, you actually, if you could use a little bit of milk cremate, it would do something very similar. So because there's lactose in there and because in a cookie or something, you also have protein, that's all you need to create this nice mailer browning. So not only does the product look better, but you're also going to get some flavor out of that. And that nice sweet brown flavor is what you're looking for. And there will be other flavors. So say for instance, you make a brownie or something and you put permeate in it, the potassium actually in that permeate will accentuate that cocoa flavor. Because permeate has some salty characteristics which come from potassium primarily. It'll really make that chocolate pop!

Reese Clark:

No way. So it actually has flavor enhancement to the point where it actually amplifies something that might already be there. Absolutely. Such a chocolate. Okay. I've heard that a lot of chocolate manufacturers have started to look towards milk permeate in an effort to shorten that ingredient label for their end product as well. And that has to be tied to some of those components well, without sacrificing the flavor. So that's just fascinating. I find that really interesting.

KJ Burrington:

Yeah. So there's a lot of potential, I think, in milk permeate that really hasn't been tested necessarily, or it's untapped potential, I think, for some product developers to use.

Reese Clark:

Seriously. Yes. Okay. That is wild. I want to pivot really quick because you also have helped lead the charge on something that A DPI features, which is called Dairy 360. I took it and I loved it. You were in it featured many times, and you helped guide us through getting a whole basic, almost more than basic, full download of just general industry knowledge of how the dairy industry works. Tell me a little bit about that program just for someone who may not know about it and what the benefits of that program are.

KJ Burrington:

So that program was actually started in 2017. I wasn't here then, but I was at the Center for Dairy Research, and Dr. Phil Tung started it, but it was built out as an in-person training two and a half days. And when Phil built it out, he was very concerned about competing with the Center for Dairy Research, which we had our own training programs and as well as other dairy centers. And he said, came to me and said, kj, I want you to be a part of this, but I don't want to compete with other dairy centers. What do you think we should do in terms of a training program that will meet the needs of the industry? And I said, well, the best thing you could do is don't make it such a deep dive. I said, when somebody comes to a dairy center, they're looking for really deep dive scientifically, and they also get hands-on experience. Usually you won't be able to provide the hands-on experience because you're not going to go to a place that has equipment, but you also have a lot of non-technical people in the dairy industry that need the training as well as the technical people. So if you can find that sweet spot where the non-technical people, the sales and marketing people can learn something about the science of it. And then you have the technical people that also can learn something about the business side of it, then you really have a course that is very unique, but still comprehensive, that it can get somebody up the learning curve pretty quickly.

Reese Clark:

Yes. It's completely holistic and you guys are updating it regularly.

KJ Burrington:

So of course, we had to shift it in 2021 to a virtual course. It changed a little bit after that. Phil retired, and I was kind of put in charge of just keeping the course going. So we have changed it. We've added sessions like farm practices. That was never part of it. I thought. There's no, not very many people grow up on farms anymore, and the people that are in our industry should know about farm practices and where it all starts, because that's where the milk comes from.

Reese Clark:

Yes, of course.

KJ Burrington:

So everybody now has to take that farm practices session, and then we've added other ones too. We've added things like sanitary design, and we've added sustainability, and we talk a lot about nutrition and even of course, the risk management and exports, exports, supply chain, and all of that's the

Reese Clark:

Engineering side of it too. Yeah, it's very in depth, and I will say you challenge folks depending on whoever's setting up those quizzes. They're not always easy, but it actually challenges folks to really get a true understanding and not just float through it. Like your typical, I have to do this course. It's a serious course. And you guys, there is some accreditation component too, or not?

KJ Burrington:

Not a formal one. So you do get a certificate of completion if you do all the sessions and all the quizzes, otherwise you won't have anything. You can kind of hand your boss and say, yes, I really did complete this course. But we do have the course now at Kansas State University, so it is a part of their curriculum. It's a requirement for their students that are in animal science and dairy science. So this year we have 163 students that are taking this course. So they get three credits for it. It's the same course that the industry takes.

Reese Clark:

Wow.

KJ Burrington:

Same quizzes, but they also have to have a final.

Reese Clark:

Oh, no way? Okay. They have a final exam.

KJ Burrington:

They have a final exam.

Reese Clark:

Wow. That's okay. Very cool. I mean, this has just been wonderful. I really appreciate the time you took to connect with us and just tell us about all things permeate Dairy 360. Oh, I want to call out one more thing. You did have a live component of Dairy 360 here at the A DPI conference. Were you part of that or how did that go?

KJ Burrington:

Yes. So we had a mini course, and the mini course gives attendees just a sampling of what DI 360 is about. So there were three of us instructors, and we covered, of course, Mike McCulley did markets and pricing, Dr. Matt Koski did dairy protein nutrition, and then I did an applications focused session, and this year the attendees got to taste protein beverages. So I decided that we should just kind of bring something, make it a little more interesting.

Reese Clark:

Nice.

KJ Burrington:

Most people, if you think about it, you're not going to go to those store and buy eight different protein drinks and taste them. It's just because you're end up having to buy a four pack or a 12 pack, and if you don't like it, what are you going to do with it? So this way you can sample the beverages without having to buy them and make some decisions about, oh yeah, I would actually buy that one. Or No, this one was, no, I will not buy this one.

Reese Clark:

Yeah, absolutely. Give 'em a little bit of hands-on experience to make that connection from the course down to the reality. That's wonderful. That's wonderful.

KJ Burrington:

So it was really fun.

Reese Clark:

Very good. What is your favorite component about this conference? What do you like the most about? There's so much going on. Everybody is super busy. There's a ton of meetings, but also a ton of great content you guys are pushing out. What makes you most excited about just being here?

KJ Burrington:

Yeah, so for me, the networking is super important. It gives us a chance to see our members in person and to kind of catch up with people you haven't seen for a long time. But it also gives us a chance to try to build an agenda and a program that hopefully is going to be meaningful for the attendees, the ones that actually can make it into the sessions. But I learn something every time I sit through this conference, especially about the business side of the industry, because being a technical person, that's kind of your life. That's what you do every day. But the business side is so important for us to realize what's happening not only in the US, but globally.

Reese Clark:

I see. Yeah, and you can just get a whole global perspective from that and then yeah, crossover to a site of the work that is something that you don't live and breathe as much. That's fantastic. That's very cool. I love the conference as well. Thank you again for joining us and for taking the time in your very busy day. We appreciate it. This has been the Milk Theory Podcast, and we'll see you again soon.