Casein (micellar)

Micellar casein is the casein fraction of bovine milk held in its native micellar form. Pasteurised skim milk is passed across microfiltration membranes of roughly 0.1 micron, which retain casein micelles while serum proteins, lactose and soluble minerals cross into the permeate; diafiltration with water strips the remaining lactose, and the retentate is low-heat spray dried. Nothing is precipitated with acid or rennet, and under the ADPI Concentrated Milk Proteins Standard the product may not be assembled by blending separately produced casein and whey — the filtration step is what defines it. Commercial microfiltered grades carry a casein-to-whey protein ratio between 82:18 and 95:5, against roughly 80:20 in the milk they came from. Thovek supplies MCC 80, MCC 85 and micellar casein isolate. Protein is quoted on the basis the ADPI standard uses: MCC 80 at a minimum 79.5% as-is, MCC 85 at a minimum 85.0% on a dry basis and isolate grades at a minimum 89.5% dry basis, all measured as nitrogen times 6.38. Lactose falls as protein rises — up to 10% in MCC 80, 3% in MCC 85 and 1% in the isolate — so none of these grades is a lactose-free ingredient. Functionally, the intact micelle is what buyers are paying for. It stays colloidally dispersed at neutral pH, builds viscosity at high solids, and comes out of solution near its isoelectric point of pH 4.6, which is why formulators put it into neutral ready-to-drink beverages, bars, meal replacements, process cheese and whipped topping bases rather than into clear acidic drinks. Every lot ships with a certificate of analysis covering proximates, lactose and the ADPI microbiological limits: standard plate count 30,000 cfu/g maximum, yeast and mould 100 cfu/g, coliforms or Enterobacteriaceae 10 cfu/g, and Salmonella and Listeria not detected. This is a milk ingredient and a declared milk allergen in every major market. If you take the instantised version, the soy lecithin used to agglomerate it adds a soy declaration in the EU — lecithin is not covered by the Annex II exemptions, which are limited to fully refined soybean oil and fat and a short list of soy-derived tocopherols and sterols. Dairy exports from India move under Export Inspection Council oversight, and we will confirm establishment approval and health-certificate requirements for your destination before shipment.