Student on top of embarrassing problem

Anila Rajan in the Waikato University laboratory with her supervisor, Dr Giridhar Raghavan Nair. Photo / Sarah Ivey

A Waikato University student has made a possible breakthrough for lactose-intolerant people who find the common substitute for cows' milk causes flatulence.

Biochemical engineering masters student Anila Rajan is researching the practicalities of using a peanut extract to manufacture soy milk, which she hopes will allow people to enjoy the product without experiencing the side-effects.

Ms Rajan, 25, who is not lactose-intolerant herself, said some people did not produce the enzyme needed to digest some of the complex sugars in soy milk.

"They produce bacteria in the lower intestine which in turn causes gas. The bacteria in the colon ferment, producing carbon dioxide, hydrogen and methane," she said. "It could be a bit embarrassing for some people."

She said her research focused on removing the flatulence-inducing sugars from soy milk in production.

Her supervisor, department of engineering senior lecturer Dr Giridhar Raghavan Nair, said although the gas-causing problem of soy products was well known, it was difficult to find a cheap solution as producing purified enzymes was usually an expensive process.

But Ms Rajan said one such solution was alpha-galactosidase, a naturally occurring enzyme found in watermelon, some coffee beans, peanuts and other microbes and peanuts micro-organisms.