IPB Researchers Utilizes Whey to Produce Beverages

Generally, Cheese production all over the world produce big amount of whey. 50% total whey from all over the world processed to be food and beverages, while the other 50% wasted. Whey considered as waste and not processed as a derivative products whereas whey has high nutritional content, which is 55% of the total nutrients of milk. 

Even if whey is a side product, but whey still have nutrition and carbohydrate content and can be utilized for food, feed, and bacterial growth media. This is because whey still contains 4-7% lactose and 0.6-1% protein.

Nutrition Component of whey could be utilized for bacteria as a source nutrition to grow. This is what underlies researchers from Bogor Agricultural University (IPB), Dr. Irma Isnafia Arief, and Dr. Cahyo Budiman, along with students of the Department of Animal Production and Technology, Faculty of Animal Sciences IPB, Ikhsan Suhendro, to conduct a study. They make fermented beverages from Lactobacillus plantarum starter and use whey from cheese and dangke as a media to grow L. plantarum bacteria. Lactobacillus plantarum IIA-1A5 is a type of lactic acid bacteria that capable of using whey (especially lactose) nutrients for growth. Utilization of Lactobacillus plantarum IIA-1A5 requires a media as a place to grow microorganisms to multiply their number. Since bacterial growth media are generally expensive, alternative media of whey cheese and whey dangke are used. Whey cheese is the result of fresh pasteurized milk process, while whey dangke comes from the process of heating fresh milk mixed with papaya sap (papain enzyme). The results are curd that clot and whey solution. Curd is filtered, while whey can be taken and used for the manufacture of fermented beverages. 

“We inoculate Whey cheese and whey dangke with one percent L. plantarum. After that, it grows in an incubator at 37 degrees Celsius. We observe every 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 hours. Furthermore, we analyzed bacterial growth, physical test and organoleptic test. Well, the optimal time of bacterial growth that was found from this research will be used as the standard manufacture of fermented drinks" said Ikhsan.

The results showed that the incubation time at 10th hour is the optimal growth that suitable for fermented beverage. Whey cheese is a better medium than whey dangke. The growth of L. plantarum IIA-1A5 in a media of fermented whey can increase the acidity, decrease the value of water activity, and increase the product viscosity value. (Jhn)