Conjugation of whey proteins with dextran has been previously studied at a bench top level, and these conjugates had greatly improved functionality. We wanted to develop a process to produce whey protein conjugates at a pilot plant scale so that potential applications of these ingredients could be explored. For scale-up process, we switched from dextran to food grade maltodextrins (MD). We evaluated the impact of the different molecular weight (dextrose equivalent, DE) of MD. We studied the ratio of carbohydrate to protein and concentration of MD for conjugation reaction. The novel “wet” conjugation process developed at University of Wisconsin was used for conjugation. A mixture containing 20% total solids with a ratio of MD to protein = 3:1 was selected, and MD with DE values of 4, 10, 15, and 18 were tested. Mixtures were held at 62°C for 24 h to promote conjugation. The average molecular weight of the conjugates was around 22 - 96 kDa. We observed bacterial growth during the conjugation reaction, and the source of bacteria was identified as the heat stable spore former, Geobacillus stearothermophilus. Bacterial growth caused a significant decrease in pH, which negatively impacted the conjugation reaction. Microfiltration of the reaction mixture eliminated this bacteria from the raw material before conjugation. No further pH drop was observed in conjugation process. Nanofiltration was used to remove small sugars from MD before conjugation. A full scale up pilot plant trial that was completed that produced a spray dried conjugate powder. This powder had a protein content of ~12% and was tested to confirm presence of conjugates. We also confirmed that partially hydrolyzed whey proteins could react with MD to form conjugates. We are exploring options to produce conjugate powders with higher protein levels and enhanced functionality.