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The molecular structure of vitamins makes them easily degradable under various conditions such as temperature, pressure, and pH. It is necessary to understand and determine the stability of vitamins during the processing of food products to ensure their presence at the time of consumption. In this study, the degradation of vitamins added was assessed before and after heat treatments during the manufacturing of food products. Vitamins of interest were quantified by HPLC. The results obtained allowed to establish that prolonged heating of the product caused water-soluble vitamins degradation. The greatest degradation was observed for vitamin B12, decreasing by 94% in a baby porridge product after pasteurizing at 85 °C for 15 s. In contrast, vitamin B1 showed the lowest reduction in a chocolate milk, decreasing by 4% after ultra-high-temperature (UHT) treatment at 139 °C for 5s.

Valorization of by-products in the dairy industry as a strategy to promote circular economies has become a priority around the globe. Cheese whey and its derivates from filtration technologies offer a source of valuable molecules such as proteins, fat, lactose, and minerals. For this study, after protein concentration and recovery through ultrafiltration, lactose remaining in the permeate was furtherly concentrated with nanofiltration, resulting in a retentate used as substrate for the enzymatic production of galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS). The kinetics of GOS generation with a commercial β-galactosidase, was carried out, quantifying the carbohydrate composition by HPAEC-PAD. Results showed that at 0.5 h, GOS yield reached a maximum of 74% (g GOS/g lactose) with a lactose utilization of 63%. Under these conditions, a GOS syrup (75% soluble solids) was generated and applied in a porridge for blind paired comparison test, including a control without the syrup. No differences were identified in color and odor between porridges; however, flavor and mouthfeel of the GOS-added sample improved according to the comments of panelists. This study presents an alternative process for the valorization of whey permeate to produce GOS ingredients that can be used directly in day-to-day dairy products.