Whey – converting a dairy by-product into nutritious and affordable food

In Lebanon, the dairy industry produces more than 200,000 tons of whey each year. Only a small fraction of it is put to further use. Far more is wasted. When it is discharged into nature, whey causes severe environmental problems. Treating it in wastewater plants brings additional costs for companies. 

Under the European Union-funded SwitchMed programme, UNIDO has been working closely with industrial partners to develop innovative, nutritious whey-based food and beverage products customized to the needs of Lebanese dairy companies, particularly SMEs. The project has resulted in the development of three new whey-based products: whey-based fruit juices, whey-based ayran, and whey-based spreadable cheese. The project began with two companies participating. Since then, six more companies from Lebanon and the region have signed up to the project, keen to take advantage of the benefits of using whey in their products.

One of the companies involved in the project is Skaff Dairy Farm. “We are a small dairy company”, its manager says, “so it was difficult for us to invest in the advanced technology needed to dry and concentrate whey. The technical support we received under the UNIDO project led us to develop an innovative approach in formulating our whey-based spreadable cheese. We were delighted with the results. Our spreadable cheese is not only tasty: it is also healthier than other products, many of which are made using non-dairy ingredients such as vegetable oils. We look forward to developing this project further and diversifying our product lines.”