Whey to go! Cheese packaging designed to extend shelf life

Every kilogram of cheese produced yields around 8 kg of whey — a valuable by-product in the dairy industry due to the large volume generated and its nutritional composition.

Many cheesemakers make use of the cheese whey by turning it into whey powder, whey protein concentrates, lactose and beverages such as fermented whey milk. Fermentative processes can also be used to obtain value-added products such as alcohol and vitamins. However, some smaller cheesemakers may not be able to afford these upcycling processes and will send this valuable cheesemaking by-product to waste streams for disposal.

To address this issue, Spanish researchers and cheesemakers are now working together on a project to upcycle the whey by-product of cheese manufacturing into other new value-added products.

Natural antimicrobial coatings will be developed for use in packaging to extend the shelf life of cheese by around 25–50%. New probiotic ingredients will also be added to livestock feeds, which are designed to protect the digestive system and contribute to animal wellbeing.

The GO Orleans Project is being implemented by AIMPLAS, ADM Biópolis, FEDACOVA (Agri-Food Business Federation of the Valencian Community) and the Universitat de València. Two Spanish cheese companies are also participating in the project — Dehesa Dos Hermanas, a sheep cheese factory in Huelva, and Quesos La Cabezuela, a goat cheese company in Madrid.

Project member ADM Biópolis provides its expertise in probiotic design and validation while the Universitat de València contributes its expertise on the study of antimicrobial activity. “We’ll first separate bacteria with biopreservation potential. Then we’ll characterise the compounds in the matrix, which is whey,” said Giuseppe Meca, professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine at the Universitat de València.

“AIMPLAS is working on the formulation of a functional coating containing whey as an active component with antimicrobial properties. Application has therefore been planned on plastic film to obtain active packaging prototypes for cheese,” said Alicia Naderpour, a packaging researcher at AIMPLAS.

FEDACOVA will be responsible for transferring developments to companies in the agri-food industry. “FEDACOVA is participating in this project to transfer research findings to the Valencian agri-food industry, especially companies in the Association of Cheesemakers of the Valencian Community and individual members. This will help improve industry competitiveness, which will ultimately benefit society as a whole,” said Sergio Barona, General Secretary of FEDACOVA.

Image caption: iStock.com/CasarsaGuru