DMI: whey revenue could support investment in new dairy processing plants
Speaking to NutraIngredients, Meletharayil described whey’s changing position in dairy processing. Historically treated as a co-product, whey protein has gained commercial importance. He suggested that income from whey could increasingly contribute to the investment case for building processing facilities.
The research areas he outlined concern uses extending beyond conventional dairy nutrition. They include processing methods to broaden the applications of existing ingredients, investigations into cognitive health and research on peptides involved in appetite regulation.
Lactoferrin is already incorporated into infant formula and is being studied for properties associated with immune function. Its sensitivity to heat poses difficulties for manufacturers seeking to use it across more product categories. Meletharayil suggested that improvements in processing techniques could address that constraint and potentially create further markets.
Research into whey protein phospholipid concentrates includes possible applications for cognitive health. These ingredients are used in infant nutrition, while researchers are also examining their potential relevance to older people. DMI is financing work investigating whether the choline obtained from these concentrates could benefit women’s health.
Protein hydrolysates are another focus, alongside increased interest in glucagon-like peptide-1, or GLP-1, and its part in regulating appetite. Meletharayil raised the question of whether consuming particular foods could encourage the body to produce GLP-1.
That line of investigation concerns peptides derived from food and their potential to stimulate the body’s own GLP-1 production. Researchers are exploring whether this approach could deliver meaningful metabolic benefits.
