Lactose Free Test and Certification

Some people cannot digest a certain sugar in milk and dairy products called lactose. These people are people with lactose intolerance. This condition, also called lactose malabsorption, is generally not harmful, but its symptoms can be uncomfortable. There is no cure for lactose intolerance. These people can manage this by monitoring how much milk or dairy they are consuming.

Being lactose intolerant does not mean being allergic to milk. The human body uses an enzyme called lactase to break down sugar (lactose) in milk and dairy products. Very few enzymes (lactase) produced in the small intestine are generally responsible for lactose intolerance. The body can absorb sugar this way. However, people with lactose intolerance do not have sufficient levels of lactase. Even with low lactase levels, some people can digest dairy products well. But for people with lactose intolerance, low lactase levels cause certain symptoms.

Normally, lactase converts milk sugar into two simple sugars, glucose and galactose, that are absorbed into the bloodstream through the intestinal lining. In people who are not lactose intolerant, the lactase in the small intestine breaks down the milk sugar and is then absorbed into the body through the small intestine. But for people with lactose intolerance, it's not that easy. Lactose does not break down, but instead goes to the colon where it mixes with normal bacteria and ferments. It causes conditions such as gas, bloating and diarrhea.

According to research, most adults in the world cannot digest milk. 40 percent of people stop producing enough lactase to digest milk between the ages of 2 and 5. It is estimated that just over a third of people in the US are lactose intolerant.

Most people with lactose intolerance can manage the condition without having to give up all dairy products. Experts advise people with lactose sensitivity to abandon certain dairy products and switch to lactose-free products. In this case, it is possible to get plenty of calcium, vitamin D and other nutrients with a healthy diet. These foods recommended instead of milk are: almonds, beans, tofu, calcium-fortified orange juice and soy milk, fatty fish such as salmon, tuna and mackerel, egg yolk and beef liver.

Signs and symptoms of lactose intolerance generally begin between half an hour and two hours after eating or drinking lactose-containing foods. Common signs and symptoms are: diarrhea, nausea and sometimes vomiting, abdominal cramps, bloating, and gas.

There are three types of lactose intolerance. Different factors cause the underlying lactase deficiency of each species.

• People who develop primary lactose intolerance, the most common type, start life by producing enough lactase. Babies who get all their nutrients from milk need lactase. As children replace milk with other foods, the amount of lactase they produce normally decreases. In primary lactose intolerance, lactase production drops suddenly in adulthood, making dairy products difficult to digest.
• Secondary lactose intolerance occurs when the small intestine reduces lactase production after a disease or surgery involving the small intestine. Diseases associated with this condition include intestinal infection, celiac disease, and Crohn's disease.
• Congenital or developmental lactose intolerance is a rare condition. This disorder is inherited from generation to generation.

Factors that make people more susceptible to lactose intolerance include:

• Older age: Lactose intolerance usually occurs in adulthood.
• Ethnicity: Lactose intolerance is most common in people of African, Asian, Hispanic, and American Indian descent.
• Premature birth: Premature babies may have low lactase levels because the lactase-producing cells in the small intestine are not developed.
• Diseases affecting the small intestine: Major small intestine problems that cause lactose intolerance include bacterial overgrowth, celiac disease, and Crohn's disease.
• Some cancer treatments: Intestinal complications from radiation therapy or chemotherapy can cause lactose intolerance.

Today, lactose-free dairy products have become an increasingly large market due to the increase in lactose intolerance among the adult population. In this respect, the determination of lactose in lactose-free products has created an important need for analysis for manufacturers as the final quality control both in the production line and in finished dairy products. Technologically, new test methods are being developed for the determination of lactose in terms of reproducibility, accuracy and recovery. Here are a few of them:

• Delactosing monitoring method. Galactose and glucose contained in milk are removed from the milk with the lactase enzyme added during the delactosisation process. Monitoring this process and the final lactose concentration are two important steps that need to be carefully controlled. Delactosation method is a very important analysis method based on real-time monitoring of the delactosisation process.
• Traditional enzymatic method. This method is based on photometric measurements of NADH evolution after lactose digestion by lactase enzymes.

The choice of lactose-free milk and dairy products is important for people with lactose intolerance. In this regard, manufacturers and laboratories are responsible for the correct labeling and documentation of lactose-free products.

Our organization provides lactose-free testing and certification services to demanding businesses within the framework of national and international standards, with a trained and expert staff and advanced technological equipment, among numerous testing, measurement, analysis and evaluation studies.