Whey: Review. Part 2. Treatment processes and methods

Abstract

The present state of the art of studying whey is considered. The processes and methods of whey processing (thermal, chemical, physicochemical, biotechnological, and electrophysical) are presented. Thermal and isoelectric precipitation of proteins using reagents and coagulants, as well as the main membrane processing methods (reverse osmosis, diafiltration, microfiltration, ultrafiltration, and nanofiltration), are described. The possibilities of the effective separation of whey proteins by a combination of membrane and other methods are mentioned. Chromatographic methods for fractionation of whey proteins (simulated moving bed chromatography, high-gradient magnetic fishing chromatography, selective adsorption, displacement chromatography, membrane adsorption), which provide a high degree of separation, are described. Highly porous chromatographic materials providing a high flow rate and biotechnological processing methods—biosynthesis of lactulose, enzymatic hydrolysis of lactose and whey proteins, aerobic and anaerobic fermentation—are considered. The electrophysical methods of processing whey (electrodialysis, electroactivation), which include electrodialysis and electroactivation, as well as electrochemical activation as a phenomenon and technology, as a new promising processing method that allows the creation of a wasteless cycle for obtaining valuable components and useful derivatives from whey without the use of reagents are analyzed. It is emphasized that, depending on the used regimes, protein–mineral concentrates with a predetermined protein or mineral composition are obtained with the simultaneous isomerization of lactose into lactulose. It is stated that the efficiency of methods for processing whey is ensured by a significant increase in the efficiency of technological processes, a decrease in the labor costs, a reduction in the processing time and materials, and an improvement in the quality and functional properties of the final products.