Critical Aspects in Development of Whey Protein Concentrate

Abstract

Production of whey protein concentrates has increased significantly in the United States in recent years. This may be attributed mainly to greater effort on the part of whey producers to abide by pollution regulations and to availability of improved ultrafiltration membranes and equipment. The objective of this paper is to discuss certain marketing and technical aspects of whey processing that are critical for establishment of a successful commercial whey protein concentrate operation. Marketing aspects are identification of viable and specific markets, setting of specifications for whey protein concentrate, and price functionality interrelationships. Technical aspects are whey source, whey pretreatment, ultrafiltration membrane performance, characterization of liquid process streams, characterization of whey protein concentrates, application of whey protein concentrates, and effluent stream utilization. Functional whey protein concentrates produced under strict quality control conditions could find a growing market and could be used as key ingredients in development of new food products. © 1984, American Dairy Science Association. All rights reserved.