New Method to Utilise Acid Whey Revealed

The success of the Greek yoghurt market is growing steadily, but the production process has long been an issue for manufacturers, with only one third of the milk used ending up in the final product. The remaining material is acid whey, a by-product which up until now has been offloaded into the animal feed and biofuels markets at the cost of producers, or disposed of in a waste stream causing a multitude of environmental issues.

Arla Foods has created Nutrilac protein to deal with this issue by transforming acid whey into dairy products that can be sold to consumers at a high margin. The product is a good source of protein, calcium and much-needed amino acids.

Carsten Valentin, senior director of functional milk proteins at Arla Foods said, “We’re very pleased to win this award and delighted the judges have recognised the ground-breaking nature of our new acid whey concept. It is an important development for the Greek yoghurt industry and winning this award reflects the hard work and skills of our superb development team. Until now it has simply been accepted that acid whey is an unavoidable waste product of Greek yoghurt production – but not anymore. With the addition of our Nutrilac protein solution to the acid whey, what was once a waste product is now a raw material that can be used to create a high quality product with added value. “