Whey and Whey Products
Whey separated from its water content is rich in nutrients and low in fat. It contains the water-soluble whey proteins, with most of the lactose, water-soluble vitamins, and minerals of the milk. It is highly perishable when fresh, so it is most often processed quickly into whey cheeses, dry whey, and modified whey products. In the past, the nutrient-rich whey was principally used to feed animals, but now the food industry is using pasteurized whey in a variety of products. Whey is found in baked goods, beverages, sauces, salad dressings, cheese products (dips, spreads, process cheese), canned fruits and vegetables, confections (caramels and other candies), dry mixes, frozen foods (fruits, vegetables, desserts), jams, jellies, meat, pasta, and milk products. A recent development is the use of whey as a component of Simplesse, a fat replacer.
Whey incorporated into foods is available in two types, sweet and acidic whey. Sweet whey results from coagulating milk with rennin, while acid whey originates from acid-coagulated milk. Besides having greater acidic, mineral concentrations are also higher in acid wheys, because the acid releases the calcium from the casein molecule, causing it to be dispersed in the whey portion.
Whey Cheeses. Scandinavian cheeses such as Primost, Mysost, and Gjetost are very hard whey cheeses made by evaporating the water until the whey is extremely concentrated. These cheeses tend to be sweet and lightly brown, a result of their lactose caramelizing in the process of water removal. Another type of whey cheese, ricotta, is produced by coagulating the whey with acid and high heat.
Dry Whey. A large portion of the dry whey produced in the United States is still fed to livestock. The remainder is used as an ingredient in processed foods such as confections, soups, beverages, imitation cheeses, dessert toppings, and nondairy coffee creamers.
Modified Whey Products. Condensed whey contains no more than 10 percent of its original water and is often used as an ingredient in process-cheese food. Another product, sweet-type condensed whey, is used as an ingredient for certain candies. Whey concentrated to contain a minimum of 25 percent protein is labeled “whey protein concentrate”. Removing some of the lactose results in partially delactosed whey. Also available is partially or totally demineralized whey, which has had some or all of its minerals removed.
