Whey as a by-product
In the Green Heart there are relatively many dairy farms, some of which make their own cheese on the farm from both raw and pasteurized milk. The process of cheese making produces a by-product called whey. It contains all the soluble components that do not end up in the solid cheese substance or curd. The whey has high nutritional value and good structural properties and is used for various industrial purposes. From the Green Heart, however, the whey is mainly transported to Brabant to be used as pig feed. Green Heart cheese-producing farmers are convinced that whey can be used more usefully locally. But how can value be added to whey and what is the feasibility of using it in the Green Heart? Six master’s students from Wageningen University conducted research commissioned by the Cheese Academy and Platform Groene Hart Werkt! ‘What are feasible opportunities to add value to the by-product ‘whey’ for cheese-producing farmers in the Green Heart?’ was their central research question.
Top three most valuable options
The various options for whey were listed. Options that scored higher than the cattle feed sector were looked at more closely. The options were then divided by industrial-scale or farm-scale implementation. The industrial options were screened for innovation, volume and revenue model. Small-scale production is mainly about investment, available space and quantity of whey. The feasibility of the various options that emerged was determined using a scoring matrix. This considered whether the product was technically, economically and socially feasible. Ultimately, a top three of options emerged that could be realized in the (very) short term. New products can be made from the whey by-product: whey beer, whey cream and ricotta.
In addition to individual options, cooperative whey processing would be a possibility to reduce the workload of farmers and efficiently process the resulting residual streams.
Are you interested in the topic? Then read the students’ final report here and view the presentation on this study. For more information, contact Marieke Kok at marieke@knowwhy.nl.
