Dec 20, 2023
The French case study aims to offer an alternative way of valorizing cheese whey – by producing a fermented drink. This will improve the competitiveness of small cheese dairies, who produce whey in small quantities and in geographically isolated areas, and often send their whey to wastewater treatment plants, biodigest it, or feed it to animals.
An “early-design making approach” maximised consumer acceptance by conducting market and consumer studies (Actalia Innovation, Petrel, in collaboration with J’aime mes bouteilles) in the developmental stage of the project. These defined and prioritised beverage concepts, including distribution mode. Additional studies evaluated environmental and economic impact (INRAE-Palaiseau; INRAE-Rennes).
After 2 years of work, the first innovative fermented drinks based on whey and fruit (or vegetable) juices are ready! They were developed by INRAE-Rennes and Laboratoires Standa, produced by Enilbio in Poligny in collaboration with Sodiaal, using whey from the Monts et Terroirs cheese dairy in Vevy. The process was adapted on a pilot scale and the drinks will be distributed in returnable and reusable bottles. This drink is perfect for an adult aperitif or a child’s snack at any time of the day!
This new drink comes in several varieties: sparkling with elderflower, apple or grape juices, and non-sparkling with apple/ apricot or apple/raspberry fruit juices. All drinks were tasted by about 60 people in a study by Actalia Sensoriel laboratory in Bourg en Bresse and two stood out as favourites: the elderflower, 77%, and the apple-raspberry, 69%. The drinks were also tasted by FAIRCHAIN partners on 7 December 2023 at a project meeting in Poligny and were thoroughly enjoyed!
The next steps in popularizing these innovative whey-based drinks are consumer studies in real-life situations for a final assessment of acceptance, and identification of the most appropriate business model(s). Environmental, social and economic assessment of the new “whey-based drinks in returnable bottles” value chain will be carried out with a focus on mid-term sustainability at a regional level.
May 10, 2023
The latest issue of the FAIRCHAIN newsletter provides a general progress update more than halfway into the project and reports on exciting developments from the French and Swiss case studies. You will also find information about training opportunities and dissemination activities.
Jun 2, 2022
The second implementation workshop took place yesterday for the French case study. The concept of innovative fermented-whey-based drinks selected by consumers was presented, together with the obstacles towards their development and possible solutions .
Mar 1, 2022
Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) is responsible for the color of whey.
Whey is the serum phase of milk, or the liquid remaining after removal of fat and casein, which contains mostly soluble components, including lactose, soluble salts, and globular proteins, among others. With the increased demand of dairy products, especially Greek yogurt, the yields of acidic whey increased and researchers are looking for ways to valorise it.
The FAIRCHAIN French case study is valorizing whey by developing whey-based drinks.
Feb 3, 2022
Experts in consumer science and marketing in the food sector discussed the strategy and actions needed to define the concept and the story of the new-whey based drink developed in the project.
Dec 15, 2021
By: Caroline Pénicaud, INRAE and Geneviève Gésan-Guiziou
The French case study aims to develop and distribute an innovative drink based on the use of whey, a coproduct of cheese dairies. Whey is currently valorized into whey or protein concentrates when produced in large volumes. However at small scale, its valorisation is limited and whey may go to wastewater treatment (depending on the whey acidity and volume produced).
The partners of the Case Study in France (Sodiaal, Laboratoires Standa, Actia, Petrel, and INRAE) start to assess the baseline of the Case Study in Eastern France.
The aim of the environmental assessment, performed by INRAE, was to provide a basis for comparing the environmental performance of the developed innovation with the current situation. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is recognized to be the method of choice when measuring environmental impacts (climate change, resource depletion, etc. ) of a product, process, or service. The LCA analysis done here used a cradle-to-grave approach, i.e. from raw milk production to cheese products and current whey valorization.
Results show that milk production and whey drying are the main hotspots in the environmental impact and that transport of whey from cheese dairies to valorization sites is not negligible. Thus, to be an environmentally friendly innovative solution, the whey drink should generate less environmental impact than whey drying and be produced as close as possible to the cheese dairy. LCA will be used to compare the new value chain to the current one and then to quantify environmental benefits.
