Producing a Value Added Artificial Sweetener from Dairy Processing By-Product Via the Hydrogenation of Lactose

摘要

In the dairy industry, cheese and yogurt manufacturing activities generate a liquid byproduct known as whey, which can represent between 80 to 90% of the volume of the milk originally used in the dairy processing1 . Liquid cheese whey produced globally can amount to 145 million tons, and about 40% is not utilized industrially1 . The composition of whey plays a significant role in determining its potential for industrial utility; sweet whey is typically the source of commercially available whey protein, while protein recovery from acid whey, the byproduct of yogurt production, is more difficult because of the higher acidity and mineral content, and lower available protein2,3 . Appropriately handling and disposing of whey can be challenging. Whey which is not industrially utilized is often either loaded into an anaerobic digester, spread over farmland as a fertilizer, or added as a supplement to animal feed, but the application of these methods needs to balance potential risks; for instance, excessive whey spreading onto farmland can result in soil fouling from solids accumulation, and whey runoff can result in oxygen depletion in waterways.