Arla Foods Ingredients' Nutrilac protein, which enables Greek yoghurt makers to profit from their acid whey waste stream, has been named 'Best Beverage Ingredient' at Drinktec.
The new process, which is based on the Danish ingredients company's Nutrilac protein, allows companies to use their acid whey to make value-added dairy products, such as high protein fermented beverages, whey smoothies and fermented desserts.
For every 100kg of milk used to make traditional Greek yoghurt, only 33kg ends up used in the final product. The remaining two-thirds is acid whey, a by-product that must be dealt with by the processor.
Until now, Greek yoghurt makers have tended to offload acid whey into the animal feed and biofuels markets, according to Arla.
Arla's Nutrilac protein, which is derived from milk, instead enables them to turn this acid whey into a range of dairy products that can be sold at a high margin on consumer markets.
The result is a fresh tasting and nutritious product that is a good source of calcium, protein and essential amino acids, according to Arla. In addition, using acid whey in this way eliminates the storage and transportation requirements associated with other methods of disposing of it.
”Until now it has simply been accepted that acid whey is an unavoidable waste product of Greek yoghurt production – but not any more. With the addition of our Nutrilac protein solution to the acid whey, what was once a waste product is now a raw material that can be used to create a high quality product with added value,” said Carsten Valentin, senior director, Functional Milk Proteins at Arla Foods Ingredients.
Arla Foods Ingredients’ acid whey concept is also suitable for use in other applications where acid whey is a by-product, including quark production.
The Beverage Innovation Awards were held at the Drinktec trade show in Munich last week.
