Innovative low temperature methods of milk whey processing

Abstract

Abstract Reasonable use and waste-free deep processing of milk raw materials represent serious issues for the most milk processing companies. Therefore, processing of milk whey and manufacturing products of full biological value is a promising trend. Its resources are enormous, exceeding 5 million tons per year, although only 40 % are recycled throughout the country. In addition, this problem is of high environmental importance. Milk whey is a product of cheese, cottage cheese and casein manufacturing. The chemical composition of milk whey is unique owing to biologically active peptides of whey proteins, which participate in physiological processes of human body. It contains 50 % dry milk substances and about 200 types of different compounds. Up to date engineering and technology processes aimed at the dehydration offer a solution to the problem of whey processing. The paper reports on low temperature technologies used in whey processing to produce protein concentrate. When freezing out water, a nutritionally valuable protein casein and albumin mass are concentrated. The cryoconcentration of milk whey on the inner surface of a crystallizer was carried out at a temperature of the heat exchanging surface minus 4 ± 2 ° C. Chemical composition, physical, chemical, and organoleptic characteristics of the whey concentrate have been investigated. The chemical composition of the whey protein concentrate contains 20.19 % of dry substances, 12.80 % of protein, 2.87 % of whey proteins. The freezing out of water in the set conditions has brought about a 25-time increase of whey protein fraction. Therefore, a whey mass can be recommended as a source of animal protein in human diets.