233 No Whey

Cheesy and Fondue learn about the cheese byproduct, whey. We talk about food and drink, fuel, medicine, plastic and edible films. And of course, we tell a very cheesy joke!

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Why is cheddar the most dangerous of all the cheeses? Because it is very sharp!

Show Notes

https://materialdistrict.com/article/bioplastic-called-wheypack-cheese-waste/

https://phys.org/news/2015-10-whey-profitable-products.html

https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/17956853195870394/

https://grow.cals.wisc.edu/deprecated/food-systems/a-whole-new-whey

https://www.cheeseprofessor.com/blog/3-companies-using-whey-in-ice-cream-liquor-cookies

https://www.wheywardspirit.com/#home

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/lanital-milk-dress-qmilch

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyLnKz7uNMQ

https://www.aimplas.net/blog/an-active-packaging-made-from-cheese-waste-which-extends-the-shelf-life-between-5-and-10-days/

https://www.haskell.com/insights/whey-processing-basics-of-cheesemakings-beneficial-byproduct/#:~:text=Liquid%20whey%20is%20a%20major,in%20the%20cheapest%20way%20possible.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0963996915000319

https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1324168919751507&id=100064752335897&mibextid=wwXIfr&rdid=aNF4UUtEi7HzCqw4

https://www.fst.com/news-stories/automotive-transportation/fuels-from-coffee-and-dairy-products/

Episode Transcript

(00:02):
Just Cheesy the podcastpresented by Just Cheesy Productions.
Hi there. I'm your host, Fondue.
I'm Cheesy.
In this week's episode, we'regoing to learn all about the cheese
byproduct, whey.
No whey.
Yes whey.
No whey.
We're talking about whey aspossible food and drink, fuel, medicine,

(00:22):
plastic, and potentiallyedible packaging.
No whey.
And of course, no episode iscomplete without our very cheesy
joke.
No whey.
Stay tuned for episode No Wheyon Just Cheesy the podcast
Today, I'd like to talk alittle bit about that liquid byproduct
left over after cheese makingcalled whey.
No way.
Yes way.
No way.

(00:43):
Okay, let's go on.
Okay.
For a very long time, it wasconsidered waste. And as it turns
out, it might be one of themost versatile raw materials in the
whole world. Things likebioplastics, fuel spirits, and even
potentially packaging you can eat.
No way.
Yes way. But let's start withthe basics. When you make cheese,
you add rennet, or an acid toheated milk, which causes the milk

(01:06):
to curdle and separate,
right?
The solid part becomes cheese,and the liquid left behind is whey.
No whey.
And there is a lot of it.
Really?
Oh, it's a lot. For everypound of cheese produced, roughly
nine pounds of whey remains.According to research summarized
by the University of Wisconsinand industry sources like Haskell,
the production of cheeseproduces somewhere between 180 to

(01:29):
200 million tons of wheyevery. In the United States alone,
cheese output in 2023 topped14 billion pounds, which means the
corresponding whey output isstaggering. For a long time, cheesemakers
didn't even know what to dowith it. At one point in the U.S.
whey used to be pumpeddirectly into rivers and streams.

(01:51):
This caused massive algaeblooms that blocked sunlight and
oxygen from reaching thewater. Oh, no. The government eventually
banned the practice.
Oh, good.
But unfortunately, they stillhad a disposal crisis.
Right.
The first workaround was touse whey, cheap filler and ice cream,
and then they used it asanimal feed. Then it gradually found
its way into protein powders.Today, whey protein is a multi billion

(02:13):
dollar global industry. Butthe truly exciting developments,
they're not happening in thegym. They're not. Every year, Europe
produces about 75 million tonsof whey. About 40% of that is still
discarded as waste. Butresearchers in Spain and Portugal,
they've been working to changethat by developing something called
Waypack. This is the firstbioplastic made from cheese byproduct

(02:37):
whey Pack is made when whey isfermented. It produces a material
that's comparable to petroleumbased plastics. According to aimplas,
it's now possible to use wheyto extend the shelf life of cheese
by up to 10 days. 10 days?They say here they've managed to
reintroduce whey into thesmall scale cheese industry in the

(02:57):
form of innovative naturalactive packaging with antifungal
properties and as a probioticingredient for animal feed. The extension
of the shelf life of thecheese actually makes it possible
to market healthier productswithout synthetic preservatives.
Wow.
Milk byproducts as abioplastic isn't new. According to
materialdistrict.com in theearly 1900s, casein plastics were

(03:21):
produced commercially as analternative to materials such as
tortoise shell and ivory. Itwas made with powdered cow milk because
it contains high levels ofprotein, but it faded from use when
polymers derived from oil cameon the market. And even though it's
called plastic, it's actuallycomparable to other natural materials
such as horn, clay. And it canbe machined like wood. Protein designer

(03:43):
Tessa Silva is actually usingit to make things like tabletops,
tableware and vases. And thisstuff can be more than just hand
sculpted. According to thisarticle, it can be treated as a commercial
thermoplastic, allowing forthings like compression molding and
injection molding.
Wow.
Check out Tessa Silva's studioon Instagram.
Nice.
According to the usda, thereare scientists who have developed

(04:06):
a biodegradable edible filmfrom casein.
Edible?
I said edible.
No way.
That's right. It can be mademade into teabag sized pouches that
dissolve in hot water torelease things like instant coffee
or soup. They say it can alsobe formulated as a coating for breakfast
cereal to keep them crisp. Andmilk? There are those that say it
doesn't have any taste. Okay.
And texturally, it can beslightly chewy or dissolve quickly,

(04:28):
depending on how it's made.
Wow.
Bioplastics are not a sponsor,but if they were, their ad would
go right here.

(05:26):
Did you know that whey couldalso be turned into fuel? According
to fst, dairy byproducts canbe fermented into ethanol and other
biofuels. Fuels facilities inthe US Are already producing millions
of gallons annually from milkpermeates. Maybe you don't want to
gas up your car with whey, butmaybe you also have some medical
needs
Sure
Well, whey's got you covered.According to ScienceDirect.com the

(05:50):
hydrolysis of whey Proteinscan generate bioactive peptides,
meaning it could be used as anantioxidant, antimicrobial or antihypertensive.
No way. Work from LundUniversity suggests the that whey
can help regulate insulin response.
Really?
Not that I'm not impressed bythe medical properties, but I'd rather
consume my whey as either icecream, liquor or cookies. According

(06:13):
to CheeseProfessor.com there'sa place in Michigan called Way Better
Cookie Company. They makegiant cookies in flavors like oatmeal
raisin and chocolate chip. Andgourmet flavors like S' Mores Overload
and Seaside Caramel. Andbecause of the whey, they come in
at about 30 to 36 grams ofprotein per cookie. There's also
a place called whey Whippingword spirit. This is a clear, neutral,

(06:36):
versatile spirit distilledfrom the whey. What's cool about
this is they actually help toreduce waste. They partner with several
Northern California dairy coops to collect their excess whey.
It's used very much likevodka, tequila, or rum. And it can
be used over ice, with a twistof lemon, or made into cocktails.
Maybe you don't want to eat ordrink your milk, but you want to

(06:59):
wear it. Well, in the 1930s,Italy had you covered. They made
something called lanital. Theywanted to turn milk byproducts into
a substitute for silk.According to atlasobscura.com this
wasn't an odd idea. Wool is aprotein. So on a molecular level,
it has a very similarstructure to casein. And of course,

(07:21):
Italy had great success withrayon, which is an artificial silk
made of cellulose. And theybasically hung their hat on this
new type of compound calledlanital. According to Time, the casein
was forced through spinneretslike macaroni, passed through a hardening
chemical bath and cut intofiber zone any desired length. And
they say the result was asubstance that mimicked wool.

(07:43):
Really?
In fact, they quote a 1937British video that said, in the future
you'll be able to choosebetween drinking a glass of milk
and wearing one.Unfortunately, lanital was neither
strong nor elastic like wool.Even so, in 1937, they produced 10
million pounds of this stuff.Patents were sold to eight countries,

(08:04):
but the US was a big target.And people like Henry Alvord in the
1900s was president ofmultiple American agricultural colleges.
He suggested that casein beused in things like glue, buttons
or combs. In World War I,casein was used in a paint that coated
airplane wings. In 1940, itappeared in piano keys, and it was
even found in certain kinds ofpaper, giving it a glossy sheen.

(08:27):
So it was not unrealistic tothink that it could be used for clothing,
right? By 1941, under the nameErilac, milk fibers were becoming
a hit. It was once hoped thatit would become part of the fashion
scene, but when the US joinedWorld War II, it found a more universal
use. They say military equipment.
Of course,
it was blended with rayon toproduce hats.

(08:49):
hats.
And they say here it providedmodern historians with a trivia fact
to trump all trivia facts.During World War II, American soldiers
wore milk to battle. Thisstuff was used in coats, suits, and
dresses.
eally?
This stuff fell out of favorfor good reason. It was much weaker
than wool, and it brokeeasily. The threads came out when
it was ironed. The worst partwas that sometimes the fabric gave

(09:14):
off an odor when it was damp.It smelled like sour milk, causing
many consumer complaints.There are a couple of modern companies
using casein today. Let's hopethey've got that smelly part worked
out.
I'm ready for a joke fondue.
Okay, what is a cheesemaker's motto?
I don't know.
There's always a whey.

(09:35):
No whey.
Oh, there is always a way.Andit's a little bit cheesy. Thanks
for listening to Just Cheesy,the podcast episode. No Whey.
No whey.
With us, there is always awhey. Please listen to us wherever
you get your podcasts and makesure to, like, subscribe and download
and stay cheesy, everybody. J.