THE FUNCTIONAL AND BIOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF WHEY PROTEINS - PROSPECTSFOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF FUNCTIONAL FOODS

Advances in processing technologies and the accumulation of scientific data on the functional and biological properties of whey components h ave contributed to the growing commercial valuation of cheese whey ove r the last decade. New membrane separation and chromatographic techniq ues have made it possible to fractionate and enrich various components of whey more efficiently than before. The specific properties of thes e components can now be examined in greater detail and new application s developed accordingly. The utilisation of cheese whey is evolving in to a new industry producing a multitude of purified ingredients for nu merous purposes. The most significant areas of R&D related to whey pro teins include functional foods, the rheological properties of foodstuf fs, and biopharmaceuticals.