Whey for Food and Higher-Quality Feed that also meets Kosher/Halal Standards

Together with the cheese- and whey-processing sector and the foodward Foundation, Agroscope investigated how whey can be used in food and higher-quality feed. Vegetarian, kosher- and halal-compliant whey expands potential applications in the food sector.

During the cheesemaking process, around 50 per cent of the nutrients in the milk pass into the whey, including the lion’s share of the lactose and whey proteins as well as many vitamins and minerals (Figure 1). Efficient use of the whey is therefore key for sustainable cheese production. Switzerland generates 1,650,000 t of whey per year from the production of cheese, quark and high-protein yoghurt.

Whey contains 50% of the milk nutrients, so must be utilised sustainably

Utilisation of the accumulating whey, usually diluted with water, to produce dried products such as whey powder, whey protein powder or crystalline lactose requires significant evaporation and drying energy. Raw-milk cheese dairies are dotted sparsely about the landscape. A total of 620 cheese dairies in the Swiss lowlands produce less than two million kg of whey per year. The logistics of transporting whey from the many small raw-milk cheese dairies to a central location for processing into dried products are expensive. Regional concentration centres streamline the logistics, particularly for the feed sector.

A small number of large cheese dairies produce whey for the food sector

The food sector should prioritise the use of whey from the 48 large cheese dairies producing over 5 million kg whey per year and accounting for 58% of the total quantity of whey produced (Figure 2).  Around 21% of current whey use is for food, whilst around 32% of the total is used for higher-value feed such as milk replacer for calves and piglet feed.

Halal/kosher whey products – the path to fitness for the global market?

With a view to increasing whey-product use in foods, the amount of whey potentially capable of conforming to kosher/halal standards was estimated at an optimistic 61%. However, higher prices for whey products are usually obtained in the tariff-protected feed market than in the food sector, since whey products for use in foods such as infant formula can be freely imported.  Next to processed-cheese preparations, infant formula is the main food in which whey products are used in large quantities. Only when products can be marketed with a high ‘Swissness’ dividend are whey derivates from Swiss production competitive. A Swiss infant-formula manufacturer uses Swiss whey from the production of cheese from pasteurised milk without copper vats and without the use of recombinant rennet.

Innovative fermented raw-whey and fermented lactose offer an opportunity for small and large dairies

Small dairies could produce innovative raw-whey beverages that have a positive effect on health and appear to protect against allergies. Results with raw-milk yoghurt suggest that with monitored fermentation, raw whey can also be made into a food that is safe for human consumption. Small and large dairies alike could use the plentifully available lactose for the fermentative production of microbial protein for human, or if need be, animal nutrition. Microalgae can also be used to convert lactose into protein-rich biomass.

The goal: increased use of whey for food and feed production

In order for Swiss producers to hold their own in competition with whey-derivative imports, the financial framework would presumably have to be adapted. Over the last ten years, the percentage of whey industrially processed into foods and higher-quality feed has remained steady at about 53%.  Owing to the food purity laws and because of tradition, a desire for ‘naturalness’, quality issues and the yield reduction it would entail, the Swiss cheese sector has been reluctant to make the changes necessary to comply with kosher/halal standards.