Dairy

Whey is the principal by-product of cheese manufacture that has been traditionally considered a waste (Fuda et al. 2004). Its management has often involved the use of the most economical disposal methods, including discharge into water streams and onto fields, or simple processing into low-value commodity powders (Smithers et al. 1996). However, the increasing restrictions and environmental concerns have encouraged the development of novel valorization strategies, since cheese whey retains the majority of milk nutrients, namely lactose, proteins, and other valuable components present in minor concentrations. The composition of cheese whey and the huge amounts produced—world whey production is over than 186 million tons per year (Affertsholt 2009)—makes this residue an important raw material for several applications. Cheese whey began to be recognized as a valuable resource and gained increasing interest for its potential use in functional food, nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics (Marshall 2004; Alhaj et al. 2007; Saxena et al. 2009). Exploring the full potential of cheese whey requires the development of advanced purification technologies, in particular for protein separation, as well as in the case of lactose, processes that allow its transformation in value-added compounds.