Survey of Salty and Sweet Whey Composition from Various Cheese Plants in Wisconsin

Abstract

Salty whey is currently underutilized in the dairy industry because of its high salt content and increased processing and disposal costs. Salty whey accounts for 2 to 5% of the total whey generated during Cheddar and other dry-salted cheese manufacture. Because relatively little information is available on salty whey, this study was conducted to determine the range of compositional components in salty whey from commercial cheese plants. Gross compositional differences in percent protein, salt, solids, and fat between sweet whey and salty whey from various dry-salted cheeses from 8 commercial plants were determined. Differences between individual whey protein compositions were determined using sodium dodecyl sulfate-PAGE. Average total solids, fat, and salt content were significantly greater in the salty whey compared with the corresponding sweet whey. True protein was reduced in salty whey although great variability existed among samples. Individual whey proteins identified included lactoferrin (Lf), BSA, immunoglobulin G, beta-lactoglobulin, and alpha-lactalbumin. Salty whey showed an increase in Lf content and a decrease in alpha-lactalbumin and beta-lactoglobulin content when compared with sweet whey. Salty whey may be a source of Lf, potentially increasing its value to whey processors. However, the compositional assessments showed that commercial salty whey is a highly variable waste stream.

Direct contact membrane distillation for the concentration of saline dairy effluent

“…Salty whey, a byproduct of hard cheese manufacture, contributes to this effluent load. The salt concentration ranges from 3 to 19% w/w, while the protein and fat concentration is commonly lower than 1% w/w (Blaschek et al, 2007). Through the use of low energy ultrafiltration (UF), the traces of fat and protein can be completely removed, yet a large volume of saline waste is still generated.…”

Short communication: Determination of lactoferrin in Feta cheese whey with reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography

“…The average amount of LF in Feta cheese, 272 ± 24 μg/mL, is much higher than that in bovine cheese whey, 100 μg/mL (Plate et al, 2006). This result was expected, as the concentration of LF depended on both the milk origin and the cheese-making process (Blaschek et al, 2007).…”

Development of a low-cost medium for production of nisin from Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis

“…CCS was *46% moisture and contained, on a dry matter basis in g/l: crude protein, 202; crude fiber, 5.4; crude fat, 117; ash, 110; glucose, 5-10; and various minerals (Bock et al 1997;Smith et al 2008). Sweet cheese whey contained lactose 45-50 g/l, along with typical levels of protein (*10 g/l), fat (*4 g/l), and salt (2 g/l) (Blaschek et al 2007). Both were stored at 4°C until used.…”