Acid whey purification – maximise the return on your resources

What is acid whey

Acid whey is a by-product of Greek yogurt, soft cheese, or quark production. Due to the highly acidic properties with pH ranging from 4.7–5.3 caused by a high number of organic ions (lactate and citrate) and a large mineral content of approximately 9–11% ODB, considered typical for natural acid whey, with total solids of 5.5-6.5% (TS) make it difficult for further processing. It can’t be evaporated without using special techniques with high operational costs and due to very low sensory attributes, it can’t be reused internally either.

Acid whey causes environmental issues. Currently, dairy companies often pay for it to be drained or dumped across farmers’ fields. Some use the acid whey to produce methane and take it to anaerobic digesters where it is fermented to produce methane. Despite this, these uses are a waste of this valuable substance.

Acid whey vs sweet whey

While the dairy industry already processes sweet whey on a large scale, which is then found in many products such as baby food, sports nutrition, and others, acid whey is more of a liability for many producers.

Although both are made up of 95% water, the other components of acid whey, such as calcium, phosphorus, lactic acid, and its salts, cause problems when trying to turn it into something more than the waste from Greek yogurt or cream cheese production.

What to do with acid whey

MEGA has developed a technology based on the electrodialysis process which is transforming acid whey into a new high-profit product.

Electrodialysis is an elegant solution to deal with the problematic composition of acid whey. MEGA electrodialysis units remove minerals and organic ions (acids) and achieve customer-specific pH values by integrated pH correction. The results of the acid whey demineralization process make the final product suitable for food products.

MEGA electrodialysis units can process natural acid whey or whey concentrated by reverse osmosis (RO) or nanofiltration (NF) up to 22% TS, which is preferred due to the partial removal of monovalent ions and organic ions. Thanks to the higher conductivity of the feed after the concentration, MEGA ED units can work at the maximum efficiency to achieve high demineralization rates like D90 (1% Ash ODB) without using ion exchange even for acid whey.

Electrodialysis allows evaporation and crystallization of acid whey

After demineralization, acid whey can be easily evaporated, concentrated, and spray-dried. The MEGA ED technology helps to improve the performance and yield of the evaporator and crystallizer, respectively. By removing lactates and its salts, the stickiness of the spray-dried product is highly reduced.

Boost your business with acid whey

MEGA's technology offers new opportunities for dairy companies to use acid whey to maximize their production, increase profits and significantly reduce waste.

Acid whey contains the same minerals as milk, which means it offers the same benefits to bones, teeth, and general health. But it is often disposed of in waste streams or sold for little or no profit to farmers for use in animal feed.

Thanks to MEGA electrodialysis acid whey can be converted into high-value consumer products and, in turn, enable dairies to boost their efficiency by using 100% of their milk and not just a portion of it.

Acid whey uses

Demineralization of acid whey make it possible to transform it into a valuable food supplement with a wide selection of applications in high-quality and nutritious food and dairy products.

Possible applications include cream cheese, processed cheese, dips, beverages, stirred yogurts, and desserts.