Solutions
Insights
Sustainability
About Tetra Pak
Contact us
Careers
Media
Suppliers
Ukraine
Introduction
Contact us
Home Solutions Integrated food solutions & equipment Processing equipment Membrane filtration Filtration solutions for whey

Unlocking hidden potential

Whey is a valuable product that is in high demand. This is because whey contains proteins that can be concentrated and isolated to create ingredients for a wide variety of value-added products.

Containing 0.8 percent protein, 4.5 percent lactose and 0.2 percent minerals and salts, whey is fractionated into different products by means of membrane filtration.

Whey comes in two forms: sweet whey – the by-product of cheese coagulated using rennet – and acid whey, also known as sour whey, which is left over from cheese coagulated using acid. Sweet and sour whey both contain whey protein.

Unlocking hidden potential

Whey is a valuable product that is in high demand. This is because whey contains proteins that can be concentrated and isolated to create ingredients for a wide variety of value-added products.

Containing 0.8 percent protein, 4.5 percent lactose and 0.2 percent minerals and salts, whey is fractionated into different products by means of membrane filtration.

Whey comes in two forms: sweet whey – the by-product of cheese coagulated using rennet – and acid whey, also known as sour whey, which is left over from cheese coagulated using acid. Sweet and sour whey both contain whey protein.

Benefits

Enhance cheese milk quality

Enhance cheese milk quality

Membrane filtration makes it possible to turn liquid whey proteins into globules and feed them back into cheese milk. This enhances the cheese’s mouthfeel and creaminess. It is especially suitable for small-scale production of fresh, high moisture cheeses.

Optimize the cheesemaking process

Optimize the cheesemaking process

Removing fat and curd fines from whey is known as whey handling and is integral to cheesemaking. Whey handling may also include pre-concentration in preparation for transport. Membrane filtration plays a major role in pre-concentration and fat and curd-fine removal.

Increase yield and decrease waste

Increase yield and decrease waste

Isolating whey proteins by membrane filtration and adding them back to cheese milk helps improve product yield in cheesemaking, creating a higher yield from the same raw ingredient input and less waste.

Reduce whey handling costs

Reduce whey handling costs

Selling or disposing of liquid whey leftover from cheese production costs money. Concentrating whey by membrane filtration prior to transport reduces the volume of product to be moved, cutting costs and lowering CO2 emissions.

Turn a waste stream into profit

Turn a waste stream into profit

Whey protein concentrate (WPC) is a high-value ingredient in baby food, sports nutrition products, animal feed and many other products. You can concentrate it prior to sale using membrane filtration – and earn revenue. Concentrating whey also reduces its lactose content, creating an ingredient that is well suited to production of low-lactose drinks.

Uses

Yellow powder

Concentration of total solids

Increasing dry-matter content

The first step in whey concentration typically involves increasing the dry-matter content from around 6 percent to between 18 and 25 percent using reverse osmosis filtration or a combination of reverse osmosis and nanofiltration). The concentrated whey can either be transported to another site for further processing, for instance evaporation and drying, or dried directly on site.
Woman drinking a sports drink

Whey protein concentrate and isolate (WPC and WPI)

A high-value product

Concentrated whey, or whey protein concentrate (WPC), is a high-value product considered to be the world’s most nutritionally valuable protein source. It is a key ingredient in baby food, sports nutrition products, animal feed and many other products. WPC ranges in protein content (measured as percentage protein in dry matter) from 35 percent to 80 percent. To make a 35 percent protein product, the liquid whey is concentrated about six-fold to an approximate total dry solids content of 9 percent. To achieve WPC powder of more than 80 percent, the liquid whey is first concentrated by ultrafiltration to a solids content of about 25 percent. The concentrate is then diafiltered to remove lactose and ash and raise the protein concentration in the dry matter. Diafiltration involves adding water to the feed as filtration proceeds. This washes out low molecular components – basically lactose and minerals. These then pass through the filtration membranes. Whey protein isolate (WPI) containing more than 92 percent in dry matter is a popular ingredient in protein supplements. It is produced by microfiltration using whey that has been pre-concentrated by ultrafiltration.
Sky blue water

Water recovery

Sustainable savings

Water is a crucial and limited resource in the dairy industry almost everywhere. Whey’s very high water content of 94 percent makes it an interesting target for water recovery. Using reverse osmosis filtration technology, water can be removed from whey and then reused elsewhere, for instance for cleaning. If purified to a high level it can even be reused in the production process. The result is a more sustainable – and cheaper – process that reduces food producers’ consumption of drinking water.

Technologies

Nanofiltration from Tetra Pak

Precise control

Nanofiltration

Nanofiltration plays an integral part in advanced whey processing techniques, permitting the customization of whey fractions based on specific applications and market demands. It enables the production of high-value whey products with controlled compositions, improved functionality and enhanced sensory qualities. Specifically, nanofiltration can be used for protein concentration to create protein-rich fractions and lactose removal, resulting in lactose-reduced or lactose-free whey products. Nanofiltration can also be used to selectively separate minerals in whey based on their molecular sizes. This can be beneficial for controlling the whey’s mineral content and obtaining specific mineral fractions
Microfiltration unit from Tetra Pak

Bacteria and spore removal

Microfiltration

Microfiltration is often employed as part of a multi-step processing system in conjunction with ultrafiltration and nanofiltration to achieve specific outcomes in terms of composition, quality, and functionality of whey products. The primary roles of microfiltration are bacteria and spore removal and fat separation. Microfiltration membranes allow most dissolved substances to pass through while rejecting bacteria and fat globules, which remain in the retentate. Removing bacteria, yeast, and other microorganisms from whey helps extend whey shelf life and ensures the production of microbiologically stable whey products. Fat separation is particularly important in the production of low-fat or fat-free whey products.
Reverse Osmosis unit from Tetra Pak

Useful concentration step

Reverse osmosis

Reverse osmosis plays a major role in concentrating liquid whey to reduce its high water content. Reverse osmosis membranes allow the passage of water molecules while blocking the passage of larger molecules and solutes. This enables the removal of water from whey, resulting in a concentrated whey solution. Reverse osmosis is a typical first step in whey concentration to increase the dry-matter content from around 6 percent to between 18 and 25 percent. Water removed from whey can be reused, for instance for cleaning. If purified to a high level it can even be added back to the production process.

Relevant equipment

Membrane types

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Membrane types and applications​

The heart in any membrane filtration process is the membrane itself, and choosing the best membrane for a given process is often a complex task.

Learn more about membrane types⁠
Man using membrane installation tool

Membrane tools

We offer a number of handy and easy-to-use systems and tools for installation, maintenance, and troubleshooting of your filtration system.

Learn more about ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​membrane tools⁠
Multi pilot plant spiral wound 60 bar

Rental pilot plants

We offer different types of easy-to-use pilot plants for rental. All the various dairy filtration pro­cesses can be tested by means of our different types.

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Learn more about Rental pilot plants⁠

Insights and cases

Explore more solutions

Whey Powder

Whey processing and production

Tetra Pak supports customers with expertise and equipment in whey processing, such as protein-extraction fractionation evaporation, drying, and powder handling

Explore solutions for whey processing and production⁠
processing equipment

Processing equipment

We provide complete solutions and equipment for dairy, cheese, ice cream, JNSD and other beverages, powder, plant-based, food and New Food.

Explore processing equipment⁠

Contact our sales team

Service engineers training

Our sales teams are happy to answer any sales or product queries. Please fill out our form so we can better be of assistance.

  • 1 Purpose
  • 2 Request
  • 3 Contact

Purpose of contact

Please select one option

Business area of interest

Select one or more business areas
Please select business area of interest

Contact our sales team

Summary

Purpose of contact
Business area of interest
  • 1 Purpose
  • 2 Request
  • 3 Contact

Specific area of interest

Please select one option

Contact our sales team

Summary

Purpose of contact
Business area of interest
  • 1 Purpose
  • 2 Request
  • 3 Contact

Scope of request

Please select one option

Food category

    Please select one option
    Please select one option
    Please select one option
    Please select one option
    Please select one option
Please select one option

Contact our sales team

Summary

Purpose of contact
Business area of interest
  • 1 Purpose
  • 2 Request
  • 3 Contact

Specific area of interest

Please select business area of interest

Contact our sales team

Summary

Purpose of contact
Business area of interest
Specific area of interest
Scope of request
Food category
  • 1 Purpose
  • 2 Request
  • 3 Contact

What describes your request the best

Please select one option
Brand Owner Consultant Distributor Integrator Manufacturer Original Equipment Manufacturer Potential Investor Retailer Other
Please select one option
Please enter this field

Contact our sales team

Summary

Purpose of contact
Business area of interest
Message
Specific area of interest
Scope of request
Food category
What describes your request the best
Your role
  • 1 Purpose
  • 2 Request
  • 3 Contact

Company information

Please enter a valid work email
Please enter this field
Please enter this field
Please enter this field
Please enter this field
Afghanistan Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil British Indian Ocean Territory British Virgin Islands Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia Comoros Congo Cook Islands Costa Rica Croatia Curaçao Cyprus Czech Republic Côte d’Ivoire Democratic Republic of the Congo Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Falkland Islands Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Honduras Hong Kong S.A.R., China Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iraq Ireland Isle of Man Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jersey Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macao S.A.R., China Macedonia Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Palestinian Territory Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Romania Rwanda Réunion Saint Barthélemy Saint Helena Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Martin Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Sint Maarten Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Korea South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Svalbard and Jan Mayen Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu U.S. Virgin Islands Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States United States Minor Outlying Islands Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Vatican Venezuela Viet Nam Wallis and Futuna Western Sahara Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe
Please select one option
Please enter this field
C-suite Vice President Director Manager Specialist Associate Entry level Other
Please select one option
Administrative Business Development Consulting Engineering Executive Management Finance Human Resources IT Legal Marketing Operations Product Management Purchasing Research & Development Sales Sustainability Other
Please select one option

By submitting this form, you confirm you have read and acknowledge Tetra Pak's privacy policy.

Thank you for your interest

Your request has been submitted to our teams and we will be in touch shortly. Please click on the button below if you want to submit another request or if you have another query for us.