Standardization of the method for utilization of paneer whey in cultured buttermilk

Whey is a liquid by-product obtained during manufacture of coagulated milk products like paneer, cheese etc. Its disposal as waste leads to heavy load in dairy effluent and loss of valuable milk solids. For efficient and economic utilization of whey, a method was standardized for the preparation of cultured butter milk using paneer whey as one of the ingredient. It involved fermentation of paneer whey and double toned milk separately using starter culture containing Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus. The paneeer whey can be successfully incorporated up to 50 % by following the standardized method. The proximate chemical composition of cultured buttermilk was 8.31 % total solids, 2.26 % protein, 1.12 % fat, 4.42 % lactose and 0.56 % ash. The cultured buttermilk has acceptable sensory qualities and shelf life of 5 days under refrigerated condition.