Abstract

For many years now, the global concern about the environmental issue generated by the disposal of cheese whey has encouraged food industries to develop new strategies for its valorization. Whey is a product resulting from the cheesemaking process and casein separation in dairy industries. In developing countries, about 58 million tons of whey is used for feeding animals, producing whey cheeses, and generating biogas. The remaining volume, i.e., around 137 million tons, is discarded to phreatic mantles and soils, having a significant impact on the environment due to the high polluting load, and representing also a social and economic burden. The project aims to explore novel strategies for the valorization of whey in harmony with European policies targeting at reducing food waste and promoting a circular economy. Although whey is considered a by-product, it still contains lactose and oligosaccharides with high nutritional and economic value. Lactose can be exploited as a substrate to enzymatically produce galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS), which are prebiotic compounds with potential antioxidative, anti-diabetes, anti-aging, anti-obesity properties, and the ability to regulate the intestinal flora. Since most dairy factories are unable to efficiently re-use the lactose fraction, in the first part of the project, GOS production processes will be studied to increase industrial feasibility. In the second part of the project, the technological and health-promoting properties of GOS will be exploited in functional products and sustainable packaging solutions. The possibility to efficiently produce GOS and food products enriched with these functional ingredients will be also demonstrated in the industrial environment. This approach will contribute to enhancing the recovery and exploitation of lactose and GOS, and the production of GOS from whey, having a pivotal role in the valorization of this by-product and the bio- and circular economy vision of the European Union.

Partenariato

non presente

Importo del progetto

Importo totale del progetto        Euro 250.000,00
Importo del progetto Uniud        Euro 250.000,00
Finanziamento Uniud                Euro 250.000,00

Durata

Data avvio progetto 31/03/2025

Data conclusione progetto 30/03/2028