Whey
[3] Processing can be done by simple drying, or the relative protein content can be increased by removing lipids and other non-protein materials.
When Joseph Priestley was at college at Daventry Academy, 1752–1755, he records that, on the morning of Wednesday, 22 May 1754, he "went with a large company to drink whey.
[16] In areas where cheese is made, excess whey byproduct is sometimes sprayed over hay fields as a fertilizer.
[17] Historically whey, being a byproduct of cheese making, was considered a waste product and was pumped into rivers and streams in the U.S.
The government eventually prohibited this practice which led to a disposal problem for producers of other dairy products.
Whey protein is commonly marketed as a dietary supplement, and various health claims have been attributed to it in the alternative medicine community.
Whey protein has a high level of leucine,[21] one of the three branched-chain amino acids, making it ideal for muscle growth and repair.
Studies have shown that this process of using extreme temperatures eliminates 99.7% of bacteria without coagulating the protein into a solid mass.
[23] Hydrolysates are whey proteins that are predigested and partially hydrolyzed for the purpose of easier metabolizing, but their cost is generally higher.
[24] Native whey protein is extracted from skim milk, not obtained as a byproduct of cheese production, and is produced as a concentrate and isolate.
In 2005 researchers at Lund University in Sweden found that whey can help regulate and reduce spikes in blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes by increasing insulin secretion.
When used as a food additive, whey can contribute to quantities of lactose far above the level of tolerance of most lactose-intolerant individuals.
[35] In 2010 a panel of the European Food Safety Authority examined health claims made for whey protein.
On the basis of the data presented, the 2010 panel concluded that a cause and effect relationship between the consumption of whey protein and these claims had not been established.
