Recent research shows promising potential for dairies to increase cheesemaking outputs. They can reduce waste by using more whey—whey is a byproduct of the cheese-making process and is often just discarded. When dairies manufacture 1 kilogram of cheese, they create up to 9 kilograms of whey. This whey, loaded with milk sugar, minerals and vitamins, usually ends up in the waste stream. Alternatively, it gets dumped at negative prices onto large industrial whey refineries.
Christian Solem, one of the world’s leading researchers on dairy production, has been adamant about the urgency of this matter.
“When dairies produce 1 kilogram of cheese, they simultaneously produce up to 9 kilograms of whey. Whey contains most of the milk sugar as well as important minerals and vitamins, yet today it is often sold cheaply to large whey refineries, and on a global scale, a significant share is discarded as waste. That is both a loss of a valuable raw material and associated with handling costs for dairies,” – Christian Solem.
This research points to the ways that dairies could take advantage of whey much more than what’s being done today. The report details five proven steps that would help maximize cheese production with less waste and expense. These measures, such as using higher levels of autolytic starter cultures and protecting phages’ attacks by encapsulating lactic acid bacteria, help reduce the TONE.
Today most dairies use convenient, commercial-ready starter cultures called DVS cultures. But despite being user-friendly and yielding consistent, reliable outcomes, these cultures are extremely costly. The adoption of autolytic starter cultures can significantly speed up flavor development in cheese. These cultures produce enzymes and other useful compounds, starting as soon as the first lactic acid bacteria start to break down earlier in the process.
Shuangqing Zhao, a co-author on the new study, describes the advantages of encapsulating lactic acid bacteria.
“Our review shows that, by encapsulating the lactic acid bacteria in the curd before they are added to the cheese vat, the dairies can protect them against bacteriophages,” – Shuangqing Zhao.
Encapsulation increases cheese yield by as much as 30%. It additionally protects nutritional quality and reduces anti-nutritional by-products. Furthermore, this approach can significantly reduce cost of cultures – by more than a hundred-fold.
The research details basic, low-cost steps that are realistically adoptable on most dairies. These innovations are available to all, including small and mid-sized producers, with only relatively minor changes to production processes involved. Dairies can significantly increase their production efficiency by implementing these practices. In doing so, they’ll help bring about more sustainable approaches to cheese-making.