Abstract
Overabundant agro-industrial side streams such as lactose-rich effluents from dairy activities offer multiple valorisation opportunities. In the present study, a food-grade mixed culture of bacteria and yeasts was tested under different operational conditions for the treatment and the valorisation of cheese whey permeate (CWP), the residue of whey protein recovery, into microbial protein (MP). Under continuous aerobic fermentation settings, the carbon-to-nitrogen (C/N) ratio showed little to no influence on the system performances and MP quality as compared to dilution rates (D), leading to a final protein content as high as 76%. Under high D values, instead, while biomass productivity increased, N-efficiency and protein content decreased. Unlike the bacterial community, the yeast one proved to be highly stable and less influenced by the increase of D. A preliminary estimate indicated that 2–11% of the future MP-based food production could be satisfied by only valorising lactose-rich dairy residues such as CWP.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.