Whey Powder

Whey has been known for decades as a product of high nutritional value, and the products using whey powder and fractions of whey as ingredients in foodstuffs has turned into a valuable market

Whey has been known for decades as a product of high nutritional value. Today, the development of markets using whey powder and fractions of whey as ingredients in foodstuffs for human and animal consumption have transformed the previously troublesome by-product whey into a valuable product for the dairy and cheese-making industries.

There are two main groups of whey:

Sweet-whey. This is also termed cheese whey and is produced during cheese-making, when rennet is used. Sweet-whey forms a very large family of products. Their compositions may vary only slightly but their properties are very different. The pH value of sweetwhey can range between 5.2 and 6.7
Sour-whey. This can be acid-whey, quark or cottage-cheese whey and sour sweet-whey. Acid-whey, also known as caseinwhey, originates from the manufacture of casein by means of lactic acid and hydrochloric acid. The origin of quark or cottage-cheese whey is self-explanatory. Lactic acid created through natural fermentation gives the whey a high acidity. The pH values of these types of whey range from 3.8 to 4.6. If insufficient care is given to the cheese-whey, it becomes more sour by continued natural fermentation. Such a process is of course undesirable so that soured (not sour) whey cannot be considered a natural product

Read more about whey powder.

All types of whey can be spray-dried. Each, however, requires its own handling techniques. Layouts for spray-dried whey can vary from the very simple to the sophisticated. Generally speaking, sweet (cheese) whey is easier to dry than acid-whey. The main operations used for the manufacture of whey powder are as follows:

Preheating
Concentration
Flash cooling
Precrystallization
Spray drying
Cooling in a vibrated fluid bed

CHOICE OF WHEY POWDER PROCESS

The choice of process depends upon the type of whey available, the intended market for the whey powder and the plant location. The ability to handle sweet-whey and yet produce a non-caking product permits use of a simpler layout than if sour-whey is to be processed. If the dried powder is intended for dry powder mixes, flow-ability is essential and the process must be equipped with crystallization and cooling stages to ensure that this property is obtained. Local climate should also be considered. If the climate is too humid, it is advisable to use a process that produces a less hygroscopic product with low caking tendencies.

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