Whey to go: Spanish project upcycles dairy by-product into shelf life-extending coatings for cheese

03 Aug 2022 --- A Spanish project researching circular economy solutions in the dairy sector has converted whey into antimicrobial coatings for packaging that significantly increase the shelf life of cheese.

Whey is an abundant residue for cheese makers, with 180 million liters generated every year from the 18 million metric tons of cheese produced globally, according to UN Food and Agriculture Organization data.

The new circular economy solution will prevent food waste by extending cheese’s “best by” duration by 25% to 50% and provide a new feed for livestock from the remaining whey, which can be used as a prebiotic ingredient to improve animal gut health and general well-being.

The project, which received a grant from the Spanish government amounting to €598.660 (US$609.184), is led by Aimplas, ADM, FEDACOVA (Agri-Food Business Federation of the Valencian Community) and the University of Valencia, Spain, in partnership with two cheese makers: La Cabezuela y Dehesa Dos Hermanas.

Whey is an ubiquitous residue generated from the cheese-making process. (Credit: Aimplas).Tapping a ubiquitous by-product
According to the participant organizations, the new research will allow small artisanal cheese factories (a significant part of the industry) to use the whey by-product for the first time.

Before the project, only big companies could afford the equipment to utilize whey, which ended up being disposed of in the environment, generating hazardous waste.

“We’ll first separate bacteria with biopreservation potential. Then we’ll characterize the compounds in the matrix, which is whey,” says Giuseppe Meca, professor in the Preventive Medicine department at Valencia University.

“Application has therefore been planned on plastic film to obtain active packaging prototypes for cheese,” adds Alicia Naderpour, packaging researcher at Aimplas.

Preserving cheese
Cheese is increasingly becoming a coveted commodity in inflation-ridden markets. As food prices have started to show some moderation signs in some categories – cereals, sugar and vegetable oils – dairy prices stubbornly remain at all-time highs. 

Supermarkets in the UK are using security tags to prevent the theft of cheese and other dairy products such as butter, to the surprise of some consumers.

Meanwhile, on the topic of food waste, earlier this year Mondi unveiled two paper-based trays and semi-rigid plastic trays for sliced foods such as cheese. The paper tray uses a barrier layer combined with a plastic top web solution, which allows “excellent” product protection while reducing plastic use.

A 2021 UN report showed that 17% of food at the consumer level, which equals 931 metric tons, is going to waste yearly.

By Marc Cervera