Cheese Whey Processing: Integrated Biorefinery Concepts and Emerging Food Applications

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Biotechnology
• Environmental Science

Background:

• Cheese whey is a major industrial byproduct with high organic load, posing environmental challenges.
• Current valorization methods often focus on isolating whey proteins or lactose separately.
• Existing approaches do not fully utilize cheese whey's potential, especially for food applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent advancements in converting cheese whey into high-value food products.
• To propose novel integrated biorefining strategies for comprehensive whey utilization.
• To promote circular economy principles and zero-waste processes in the food industry.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of whey valorization techniques.
• Analysis of integrated biorefinery concepts for holistic whey exploitation.
• Focus on developing value-added products for diverse food applications.

Main Results:

• Identification of recent advances in whey-to-product conversion for food applications.
• Proposal of integrated biorefining concepts for complete whey utilization.
• Demonstration of potential for creating novel food products from whey.

Conclusions:

• Integrated biorefining is crucial for maximizing cheese whey's potential in food applications.
• Developing consolidated bioprocesses supports the transition to a circular economy.
• Valorizing whey contributes to sustainable food production and "zero waste" systems.