Upcycled concepts: Arla Foods Ingredients leverages acid whey in F&B amid dairy waste concerns

Arla Foods Ingredients has developed three new ambient dairy concepts to unlock the potential of acid whey for products with an “upcycled” positioning. Acid whey is nutrient-rich and can be transformed into a nutritious ingredient, while opening up opportunities for innovative F&B products.

This comes at a time when over two-thirds of the milk used in the production of Greek yogurt and other strained fermented dairy products ends up as waste, according to the Arla Foods subsidiary.

Claus Bukbjerg Andersen, senior dairy category manager at Arla Foods Ingredients, says: “The use of upcycled side-streams can help brands reduce waste and increase their appeal to climate-conscious consumers. Additionally, acid whey is nutrient-rich and, in combination with the right ingredients, can be used to create exciting new products that offer indulgence as well as nutritional value.”

“Allowing all the goodness of milk to be kept in the food chain is good for the planet, good for consumers and good for manufacturers, who can position products as upcycled, in line with a growing dairy industry trend.”

Food waste concerns

The dairy industry has long struggled to find a sustainable use for acid whey, whose huge amounts have led to increasing research on ways to valorize it.

Disposing of acid whey, the main side-stream from the dairy fermentation process, is both expensive and associated with environmental risks, underscores the Denmark-based company.

Using upcycled side-streams can help brands reduce waste and increase their appeal to climate-conscious consumers, says Andersen.Its “upcycle your whey to value” concept focuses on helping manufacturers meet a growing market need, where consumers are most concerned about climate change and waste. 

While over 80% are aware of sustainability issues in the category, 20% are proactively changing their dairy product purchase behaviors, says the ingredient firm.

Upcycled acid whey

The dairy concepts include a protein-drinking yogurt and a protein creamy dessert with pineapple and coconut flavors, as well as a protein beverage with strawberry flavor, all containing 8% protein each.

Acid whey makes up 50 to 73% of the full product and is combined with ingredients from the company’s Nutrilac ProteinBoost range of patented microparticulated whey proteins.

They also have a “mild dairy taste,” smooth and creamy mouthfeel and can be processed on a standard dairy production line, notes the company. Further, it offers good viscosity control and stability through shelf life.

The protein beverage also contains some proteins that can withstand the “lower pH” from the acid whey during the processing without flocculating, a beverage defect scientists call the “acid beverage floc problem,” Andersen previously told Food Ingredients First. He also shared that formulating drinkable yogurts requires ultra-high-temperature treatment to create ambient shelf-stable desserts.

In other company updates, Arla Foods Ingredients will unveil its whey protein bar at an upcoming US event to tap into the healthy snacking trend, as reported by our sister website Nutrition Insight.