Cheese Industry Research Articles

Modified whey protein coatings for improved gas barrier properties of biodegradable films

As a result of environmental concern, there is an increasing interest in the development of biodegradable polymers for packaging with suitable properties, as an alternative to the synthetic petroleum-based polymers. However, such biodegradable polymers are prevented for use in wide industrial and commercial packaging because of their limited gas and vapor barrier properties. This obstacle urges innovative strategies to achieve enhanced gas barrier properties using “bio-layering” technologies. Whey protein isolate (WPI), a by-product of the cheese industry, has quite promising properties for packaging purposes. It possesses good oxygen, aroma, and oil barrier properties; however, its permeability to water vapor is high. In this study, several WPI coatings were obtained, adding polyvinyl alcohol and pectin to improve the coated film properties; in addition, nanoclays were used to improve water vapor barrier properties. Comparison of neat poly (lactic acid) film versus poly (lactic acid) coated with WPI presented advantage of the later: improvement of about 90% in the oxygen barrier properties and about 27% in the water vapor barrier properties. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Expression, purification, and characterization of bovine chymosin enzyme using an inducible pTOLT system

ABSTRACTIn recent years, various studies in the field of industrial enzymes of biotechnology have gained importance due to increasing development in enzyme technology. The different areas where enzymes are used and their economic value of biotechnological products further increases their importance. There are hundreds of different types of cheese but each is made by coagulating milk using rennet to give curds. Today, researchers have begun to develop alternative systems in the cheese industry related to milk-clotting enzymes. In this study, the nucleic acid sequence encoding the optimized chymosin enzyme was used and cloned by Not I and Mlu I restriction enzymes into pTOLT vector system. Then using this construct, the enzyme as a fusion with Tol-A-III protein was produced in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) cells. After disrupting the E. coli cell and separating from the constituents by high speed centrifugation, the enzyme was purified by affinity chromatography and fractions were analyzed by SDS–PAGE. Purified enzyme has shown its activity. Optimum temperature and pH of CHY-Tol-A-III protein were 40°C and 6.5, respectively.

Protease and lipase activities of fungal and bacterial strains derived from an artisanal raw ewe's milk cheese

We previously identified the microbiota present during cheese ripening and observed high protease and lipase activity in Divle Cave cheese. To determine the contribution of individual isolates to enzyme activities, we investigated a range of species representing this microbiota for their proteolytic and lipolytic ability. In total, 17 fungal, 5 yeast and 18 bacterial strains, previously isolated from Divle Cave cheese, were assessed. Qualitative protease and lipase activities were performed on skim-milk agar and spirit-blue lipase agar, respectively, and resulted in a selection of strains for quantitative assays. For the quantitative assays, the strains were grown on minimal medium containing irradiated Divle Cave cheese, obtained from the first day of ripening. Out of 16 selected filamentous fungi, Penicillium brevicompactum, Penicillium cavernicola and Penicillium olsonii showed the highest protease activity, while Mucor racemosus was the best lipase producer. Yarrowia lipolytica was the best performing yeast with respect to protease and lipase activity. From the 18 bacterial strains, 14 and 11 strains, respectively showed protease and lipase activity in agar plates. Micrococcus luteus, Bacillus stratosphericus, Brevibacterium antiquum, Psychrobacter glacincola and Pseudomonas proteolytica displayed the highest protease and lipase activity. The proteases of yeast and filamentous fungi were identified as mainly aspartic protease by specific inhibition with Pepstatin A, whereas inhibition by PMSF (phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride) indicated that most bacterial enzymes belong to serine type protease. Our results demonstrate that aspartic proteases, which usually have high milk clotting activity, are predominantly derived from fungal strains, and therefore fungal enzymes appear to be more suitable for use in the cheese industry. Microbial enzymes studied in this research might be alternatives for rennin (chymosin) from animal source because of their low cost and stable availability. Future studies will aim to purify these enzymes to test their suitability for use in similar artisanal cheeses or in large scale commercial cheeses.

Effect of high pressure treatment applied on starter culture or on semi-ripened cheese in the quality and ripening of cheese in brine

Abstract Cheese ripening acceleration is of continuous interest for the industry. High-pressure (HP) treatment of starter cultures used in cheese-manufacturing offers the potential to accelerate ripening by increasing the activity of their intracellular peptidases that contribute in the development of desired cheese organoleptic characteristics. The objective of the present research was the investigation of the effect of HP treatment (200 MPa-20 °C - 20 min) directly on white brined cheese or on the starter culture used for its manufacture (Str. thermophilus:L. lactis:L. bugaricus 2:1:1). For this purpose, the microbial, textural, physicochemical and organoleptic characteristics and proteolysis were assessed during the 2nd stage of ripening in cold stores. Control cheese without any treatment was also studied. Cheeses made with HP-treated starters had increased secondary proteolysis. Organoleptic scoring of these cheeses was higher during the whole storage period compared to control and HP-treated cheese. Their superiority was evident even at the early stages of ripening in cold stores, since no bitterness was detected. On the contrary, although HP treated cheeses showed the highest increase in aminopeptidases activities, this was not correlated with the studied ripening indices or the organoleptic characteristics. According to the results, HP-treated starter culture can accelerate proteolysis and potentially the ripening of cheese-in-brine. Industrial relevance The data obtained from this work suggest that application of HP treatment under optimized conditions on cheeses in brine starter cultures or on whole cheeses can be effectively used for the production of products with reduced ripening time. This is of great importance for the cheese industries, since the storage period for ripening is long (higher than two months), while applying HP treatment as suggested in this study, this time may be reduced to less than one month, producing cheeses of superior quality.

Probiotic properties of lactic acid bacteria isolated from traditionally fermented Xinjiang cheese.

Six lactic acid bacterial (LAB) strains were isolated from traditionally fermented Xinjiang cheese and evaluated for functional and probiotic properties and potentials as starter cultures. The isolated six LAB strains comprised Lactobacillus rhamnosus (one strain), Lactobacillus helveticus (one strain), and Enterococcus hirae (four strains). All of the six strains were tolerant to acidic and bile salt conditions. Among which, the L. rhamnosus R4 strain showed more desirable antimicrobial, auto-aggregation, and hydrophobic activity. In addition, the strain L. rhamnosus R4 exhibited the highest level of free radical scavenging activity (53.78% of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radicals and 45.79% of hydroxyl radicals). L. rhamnosus R4 also demonstrated cholesterol and triglyceride degradation by 50.97% and 28.92%, respectively. To further examine the health-promoting effects of these LAB strains on host lifespan, Caenorhabditis elegans was used as an in vivo model. Worms fed LAB as a food source had significant differences in lifespan compared to those fed Escherichia coli OP50 (as a negative control). Feeding of L. rhamnosus R4 extended the mean lifespan of C. elegans by up to 36.1% compared to that of the control. The results suggest that the strains isolated from Xinjiang fermented dairy products have high potential as starter cultures in the cheese industry.

Development ofGuduchi-Whey based beverage

Guduchi ( Tinospora cordifolia ) also known as Amritballi is one of the most valued herbs in the Ayurvedic medicine. Similarly, whey a byproduct of cheese and paneer industry has biologically active and nutritious whey proteins, which can be exploited for developing a nutritious beverage. In the present study, an attempt was made to develop Guduchi - whey based beverage by incorporating Gudichi at various levels. The Guduchi extract was blended to pre treated whey at various levels viz., 5, 7 and 10 per cent. Sensory evaluation of the beverage revealed that addition of 5 per cent level of Guduchi with whey was found to be optimum. The final optimized beverage sample was pasteurized and was stored at ambient (30±1°C) and refrigerated temperatures (7±1°C) to study the effect of temperature on the keeping quality of the beverage. It was observed that Guduchi treated whey beverage had significantly increased keeping quality both at ambient and refrigerated temperatures when compared to the control sample, thus clearly indicating the effect of the Guduchi on the shelf-life of the product.

Genomic approach to studying nutritional requirements of Clostridium tyrobutyricum and other Clostridia causing late blowing defects

Clostridium tyrobutyricum is the main microorganism responsible for the late blowing defect in hard and semi-hard cheeses, causing considerable economic losses to the cheese industry. Deeper knowledge of the metabolic requirements of this microorganism can lead to the development of more effective control approaches. In this work, the amino acids and B vitamins essential for sustaining the growth of C. tyrobutyricum were investigated using a genomic approach. As the first step, the genomes of four C. tyrobutyricum strains were analyzed for the presence of genes putatively involved in the biosynthesis of amino acids and B vitamins. Metabolic pathways could be reconstructed for all amino acids and B vitamins with the exception of biotin (vitamin B7) and folate (vitamin B9). The biotin pathway was missing the enzyme amino-7-oxononanoate synthase that catalyzes the condensation of pimeloyl-ACP and l-alanine to 8-amino-7-oxononanoate. In the folate pathway, the missing genes were those coding for para-aminobenzoate synthase and aminodeoxychorismate lyase enzymes. These enzymes are responsible for the conversion of chorismate into para-aminobenzoate (PABA). Two C. tyrobutyircum strains whose genome was analyzed in silico as well as other 10 strains isolated from cheese were tested in liquid media to confirm these observations. 11 strains showed growth in a defined liquid medium containing biotin and PABA after 6–8 days of incubation. No strain showed growth when only one or none of these compounds were added, confirming the observations obtained in silico. Furthermore, the genome analysis was extended to genomes of single strains of other Clostridium species potentially causing late blowing, namely Clostridium beijerinckii, Clostridium sporogenes and Clostridium butyricum. Only the biotin biosynthesis pathway was incomplete for C. butyricum and C. beijerincki. In contrast, C. sporogenes showed missing enzymes in biosynthesis pathways of several amino acids as well as biotin, folate, and cobalamin (vitamin B12). These observations agree with the results of growth experiments of these species in liquid media reported in the literature. The results of this study suggest that biotin and folate are potential targets for reducing late blowing in cheese and highlight the usefulness of genomic analysis for identifying essential nutrients in bacteria.

Estimation of economic values for milk coagulation properties in Italian Holstein-Friesian cattle

The economic values (EV) of production traits, rennet coagulation time (RCT, min), and curd firmness (a30, mm) were derived for Italian Holstein-Friesian dairy cattle, based on the Grana Padano cheese industry. Three different sets of EV for RCT and a30 were estimated, assuming +2.5% (scenario 1), +5% (scenario 2), and +10% (scenario 3) increment in cheese yield due to the effect of milk coagulation properties (MCP). A model was developed to simulate the transformation of milk into Grana Padano cheese. The EV of RCT and a30 were −€2.213, −€4.426, and −€8.852/min, and €0.877, €1.755, and €3.509/mm for scenarios 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Relative emphasis of traits in the breeding objectives of the Italian Holstein-Friesian dairy cattle population should account for the effect of MCP on cheese yield. Economic values for milk components and MCP were affected by changes of dairy products, whereas variations of feed prices did not influence EV of RCT and a30.

Production of Bioactive Recombinant Bovine Chymosin in Tobacco Plants.

Chymosin (also known as rennin) plays an essential role in the coagulation of milk in the cheese industry. Chymosin is traditionally extracted from the rumen of calves and is of high cost. Here, we present an alternative method to producing bovine chymosin from transgenic tobacco plants. The CYM gene, which encodes a preprochymosin from bovine, was introduced into the tobacco nuclear genome under control of the viral 35S cauliflower mosaic promoter. The integration and transcription of the foreign gene were confirmed with Southern blotting and reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) analyses, respectively. Immunoblotting analyses were performed to demonstrate expression of chymosin, and the expression level was quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The results indicated recombinant bovine chymosin was successfully expressed at an average level of 83.5 ng/g fresh weight, which is 0.52% of the total soluble protein. The tobacco-derived chymosin exhibited similar native milk coagulation bioactivity as the commercial product extracted from bovine rumen.

The problem of milk in the nineteenth-century Ontario cheese industry: an envirotechnical approach to business history

This article analyses Ontario’s export-oriented cheese industry and its challenges in the second half of the nineteenth century using an ‘envirotechnical’ approach. The reorganisation of cheese production from farms to rural factories in the 1860s increased opportunities for spoilage and adulteration of milk at the same time that it made detecting and managing the same more difficult, which compelled the provincial dairymen’s associations to develop quasi-managerial roles to contend with these unanticipated challenges. The ‘problem of milk’ highlights the extent to which the rural cheese industry was an ecological and envirotechnical process rather than an entity separate from the non-human world. Ultimately this case study offers one model for combining environmental and business histories at a scale beyond the individual firm while also highlighting the relevance of the local in the development of the global food system in the late-nineteenth century.

Genome Analysis of Listeria monocytogenes Sequence Type 8 Strains Persisting in Salmon and Poultry Processing Environments and Comparison with Related Strains.

Listeria monocytogenes is an important foodborne pathogen responsible for the disease listeriosis, and can be found throughout the environment, in many foods and in food processing facilities. The main cause of listeriosis is consumption of food contaminated from sources in food processing environments. Persistence in food processing facilities has previously been shown for the L. monocytogenes sequence type (ST) 8 subtype. In the current study, five ST8 strains were subjected to whole-genome sequencing and compared with five additionally available ST8 genomes, allowing comparison of strains from salmon, poultry and cheese industry, in addition to a human clinical isolate. Genome-wide analysis of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) confirmed that almost identical strains were detected in a Danish salmon processing plant in 1996 and in a Norwegian salmon processing plant in 2001 and 2011. Furthermore, we show that L. monocytogenes ST8 was likely to have been transferred between two poultry processing plants as a result of relocation of processing equipment. The SNP data were used to infer the phylogeny of the ST8 strains, separating them into two main genetic groups. Within each group, the plasmid and prophage content was almost entirely conserved, but between groups, these sequences showed strong divergence. The accessory genome of the ST8 strains harbored genetic elements which could be involved in rendering the ST8 strains resilient to incoming mobile genetic elements. These included two restriction-modification loci, one of which was predicted to show phase variable recognition sequence specificity through site-specific domain shuffling. Analysis indicated that the ST8 strains harbor all important known L. monocytogenes virulence factors, and ST8 strains are commonly identified as the causative agents of invasive listeriosis. Therefore, the persistence of this L. monocytogenes subtype in food processing facilities poses a significant concern for food safety.

Fermentative bio-hydrogen production from galactose

Bio-hydrogen production through fermentation of waste biomass has considerable benefits both as a waste treatment process and a substitute for fossil fuels. Galactose, which can be the dominant component in various biomass wastes (such as marine red algae, cheese and dairy industry waste streams) was fermented by anaerobic fermentative bacteria to assess bio-hydrogen production. The impacts of pH, the YE/G (yeast extract/galactose) ratio and substrate concentration were investigated and optimised by response surface methodology. Hydrogen production was mainly via acetic and butyric acid pathways, while hydrogen consumption was via caproic acid and homoacetogenesis pathways. The hydrogen yield and production rate were improved to 278.1 mL/g galactose (2.23 mol/mol galactose) and 33.6 mL/g galactose/h, respectively, under the optimal conditions (pH value of 6.05, YE/G ratio of 0.56 and substrate concentration of 5 g volatile solid/L). The overall energy conversion efficiency from substrates to hydrogen and soluble metabolic products reached 68.6%.

Supply Chain of Bioethanol Production from Whey: A Review

Whey, a major byproduct of the cheese and dairy industry, has valuable nutritional constituents but poses a major environmental risk, if disposed off without prior treatment. Whey has a high organic content, its major constituent being lactose (4.5-5% w/v). With a very high BOD and COD load (30,000 – 50,000 ppm and 60.000 – 80,000 ppm respectively) and annual production of over 160 million tonnes, with an estimated growth rate of 1–2% yearly, fermentation of whey to bioethanol has proved to be a lucrative option, both for bioremediation of whey and production of ethanol from waste sources; reducing the costs incurred in otherwise advanced effluent treatment processes required for its disposal. Moreover, with increasing global demand for bioethanol as an alternative to scarce fossil fuels and advocacy by governmental institutions, due to its non-polluting nature aiding in reduced environmental pollution and global warming; conversion of whey to ethanol is progressively more desirable. The aim of this review is to discuss the supply chain involved in the production of ethanol from whey. The study will involve literature survey, experimentation and developing a model.This study looks at the supply chain involved in the production and subsequent distribution of whey, for the purpose of valorization and extraction of valuable constituents, as well as its utilization in production of bioethanol. Based on existing studies, it has been seen that an initial lactose concentration of 200 gL-1 in the whey permeate, provides the maximum yield for ethanol. Under such conditions, maximum ethanol obtained from fermentation of whey was found to be 80.95 kg m-3, proving the economic viability of the process. However, the supply chain of whey for bioethanol production is not well defined, making effectiveness and implementation of ethanol production from whey constricted. Thus, although the environmental risk posed by the vast production of whey, is mitigated by its conversion to ethanol, providing adequate bioremediation of its polluting components, this process is yet to be industrialized widely.

Texture Profile Analysis of Sliced Cheese in relation to Chemical Composition and Storage Temperature

The quantitative relationships among chemical composition, storage temperature, and texture of cheese were not fully understood. In this study, the effects of composition and temperature on textural properties of eight common varieties of sliced cheese were examined. The textural properties of sliced cheeses, including firmness, cohesiveness, adhesiveness, springiness, chewiness, and resilience, were measured by texture profile analysis after storage at 4 and 25°C for 4 h. Multivariate logistic regression models were established to describe the quantitative relationships of textural properties (dependent variables) to chemical composition and storage temperature (independent variables) of sliced cheeses. Results showed that protein, fat, moisture, and sodium chloride contents as well as storage temperature significantly affected the texture of sliced cheeses (P<0.05). In particular, fat in the dry matter and moisture in the nonfat substances were negatively correlated with firmness of sliced cheeses (P<0.05). As storage temperature rose from 4 to 25°C, the average values of firmness, chewiness, and resilience substantially declined by 42%, 45%, and 17%, respectively (P<0.05). This study provided reference data for adjusting chemical composition and storage temperature of common cheese products to obtain favorable texture for Chinese consumers, which thereby facilitated the localization of cheese industry in Chinese market.

Application of Whey Permeate Fermented with Kefir Grains for the Shelf-Life Improvement of Food and Feed

Fungal contamination by Aspergillus parasiticus and A. flavus causes negative effects on the production of food cereals. Kefir is an ancient fermented beverage obtained by the fermentation of different substrates with kefir grains. An important waste produced by the dairy cheese industry is the whey permeate, which nowadays is a strong ambient contaminant. The aim of this work was the standardization of the whey permeate fermenting conditions with kefir grains, the assessment of the antifungal activity of the cell-free-supernatants (CFS) from these fermentations and to compare it with that obtained with CFS of milk fermented with kefir grains. Finally, we studied if the addition of kefir fermented whey permeate to food (bread) and feed (poultry) could produce shelf life improvement. The optimal condition to obtain CFS with fungicidal effect was a fermentation with 10% w/v of kefir grains, at 30°C, for 24 hours until a pH 3.7. We found that CFS from whey permeate caused fungal inhibition, whereas CFS of kefir grains grown in milk showed lower antifungal activity. Additionally, the addition of kefir-fermented whey permeates in food (bread) and feed (poultry) improved their resistance to fungal contamination. This is the first report about the application of kefir-fermented whey permeate to improve the shelf life, suggesting its potential use as a biopreservative.

Phenotypic and Genotypic Characteristics of Enterocin Producing Enterococci against Pathogenic Bacteria

Abstract The study investigated the antimicrobial activity of 13 enterococcal strains (E. faecalis -8, E. faecium-2, E. hirae-2, E. spp.-1) isolated from our traditional cheeses against pathogen microorganisms. Also, it includes the detection of the following enterocin structural genes: enterocin A, enterocin B, enterocin P, enterocin L50A/B, bacteriocin 31, enterocin AS48, enterocin Q, enterocin EJ97 and cytolysin by using PCR method. All isolates inhibited growth of L. monocytogenes and L.innocua. One isolate had a broader antimicrobial activity. None of the isolates showed inhibitory activity against S. enteritidis, E. coli and Y. enterocolitica. The genes enterocin P, cytolysin and enterocin A were the most frequently detected structural genes among the PCR positive strains. No amplification was obtained in two strains E. faecalis-25 and E. faecalis-86. Three different genes were identified in some strains. With the exclusion of strains possessing a virulence factor, such as cytolysin, producers of more than one enterocins could be of a great technological potential as protective cultures in the cheese industry.

Panorámica general sobre la recuperación de las proteínas solubles del lactosuero

El lactosuero es un subproducto de la industria quesera rico en nutrientes de alto valor biológico, que está siendo utilizado por muchos países desarrollados y en vías de desarrollo en diferentes procesos industriales. Las proteínas son sustancias que están presentes en las células vegetales y animales formando las moléculas de información, así lo citan diversos autores, quienes además indican que son los macronutrientes que cumplen más funciones en los seres vivos, como metabólica, estructural y reguladora, razón por la cual son consideradas como compuestos orgánicos complejos. Por su parte, las proteínas séricas representan el 20% del total de las proteínas de la leche, formadas por Holo proteínas y glucoproteínas, conocidas también como proteínas solubles, de importancia por cuanto juegan un rol protagónico para la industria alimentaria gracias a sus propiedades funcionales que las hacen propicias para incorporarse como ingrediente de diversos productos alimenticios. En conjunto estas características han motivado grandes esfuerzos en investigación y desarrollo de nuevas tecnologías en aras de potenciar la recuperación de este derivado lácteo.

Analysis of the influence of different factors on the quality of a curd-whey mixture during pumping

High stresses lead to comminutions of curd during pumping of curd-whey mixtures. There are three factors that could have an effect on this comminution, which were tested in this study. Two different types of curd were produced and tested, and each had different dimensions and textural properties. The effects of volume flows were tested in accordance with the volume flows used in the cheese industry (3.2–4.7m3 h−1). Two types of pumps – a rotary lobe pump and a centrifugal pump with a vortex-type impeller – are tested. The particle size distribution of the curd, the characteristic parameters of the distribution and the concentration of curd fines were measured and calculated to evaluate the pumping process.With an increasing volume flow and, in particular, the pumping of larger, semi-hard curd, the median of the particle size distribution is reduced by 0.61 mm. The comminution of small, hard curd was low (<0.20 mm) and independent of the tested volume flows. No differences between pumps regarding all of the measured parameters were observed. Due to the small amount of curd fines uprising during pumping (<0.28 g l−1), no factor shows a significant influence on the evaluated parameters.

Amaltheys: A fluorescence-based analyzer to assess cheese milk denatured whey proteins

The cheese industry faces many challenges to optimize cheese yield and quality. A very precise standardization of the cheese milk is needed, which is achieved by a fine control of the process and milk composition. Thorough analysis of protein composition is important to determine the amount of protein that will be retained in the curd or lost in the whey. The fluorescence-based Amaltheys analyzer (Spectralys Innovation, Romainville, France) was developed to assess pH 4.6-soluble heat-sensitive whey proteins (sWP*) in 5 min. These proteins are those that can be denatured upon heat-treatment and further retained in the curd after coagulation. Monitoring of sWP* in milk and subsequent adaptation of the process is a reliable solution to achieve stable cheese yield and quality. Performance of the method was evaluated by an accredited laboratory on a 0 to 7 g/L range. Accuracy compared with the reference Kjeldahl method is also provided with a standard error of 0.25 g/L. Finally, a 4-mo industrial trial in a cheese plant is described, where Amaltheys was used as a process analytical technology to monitor sWP* content in ingredients and final cheese milk. Calibration models over quality parameters of final cheese were also built from near-infrared and fluorescence spectroscopic data. The Amaltheys analyzer was found to be a rapid, compact, and accurate device to help implementation of standardization procedures in the dairy industry.

Whey-derived valuable products obtained by microbial fermentation.

Whey, the main by-product of the cheese industry, is considered as an important pollutant due to its high chemical and biological oxygen demand. Whey, often considered as waste, has high nutritional value and can be used to obtain value-added products, although some of them need expensive enzymatic synthesis. An economical alternative to transform whey into valuable products is through bacterial or yeast fermentations and by accumulation during algae growth. Fermentative processes can be applied either to produce individual compounds or to formulate new foods and beverages. In the first case, a considerable amount of research has been directed to obtain biofuels able to replace those derived from petrol. In addition, the possibility of replacing petrol-derived plastics by biodegradable polymers synthesized during bacterial fermentation of whey has been sought. Further, the ability of different organisms to produce metabolites commonly used in the food and pharmaceutical industries (i.e., lactic acid, lactobionic acid, polysaccharides, etc.) using whey as growth substrate has been studied. On the other hand, new low-cost functional whey-based foods and beverages leveraging the high nutritional quality of whey have been formulated, highlighting the health-promoting effects of fermented whey-derived products. This review aims to gather the multiple uses of whey as sustainable raw material for the production of individual compounds, foods, and beverages by microbial fermentation. This is the first work to give an overview on the microbial transformation of whey as raw material into a large repertoire of industrially relevant foods and products.