Context

Whey is a liquid by-product of the dairy industry that is composed mainly of a soluble protein fraction of milk (lactoserum proteins), with a residual fraction of fat, lactose, minerals and vitamins. Therefore, its composition retains high nutritional value. One of the possible values of whey from cheese manufacturing would be its use as a nutrient in hospitals, as it contains high biologic value proteins. The goal is to obtain an innocuous product with nutritional value that can be used as a base ingredient or directly as food in a hospital environment. Range of use, handling as an ingredient, patient type and eventual medical studies are outside the scope of our activity.
Using whey as the foundation, we will perform a study on a laboratory scale to develop new whey products with added value, i.e., add new functional properties to the product.
Research will focus on:
- Whey with probiotics. Whey is a dairy product on which the development of lactic acid bacteria can be fostered.
- Lactose-free whey: The final product obtained from activity 1 is intended for human consumption in a hospital environment. Some patients could have dysfunctions in the systems of assimilation of certain nutrients. Eliminating lactose could increase digestibility of the product.