Functional fermented whey foods: their role on human health

Abstract

Whey is a by-product of the cheese industry, which is being widely used as food ingredient in bakery, meat, and dairy products due to its emulsification capacity, high solubility, and gelling, whipping/foaming, viscosity and water binding properties. Dried whey or its by-products such as lactose, permeate, whey protein concentrate (WPC), whey protein isolate (WPI), whey hydrolysates, and even pure whey proteins (B-lactoglobulin, A-lactalbumin inmunoglobulins) are being successfully applied in the food industry. Whey proteins possess high nutritional value and are a rich source of essential, branched chain and sulfur-containing amino acids. Moreover, multiple health benefits such as antihypertensive, antimicrobial and antioxidant properties have been claimed for whey-derived peptides. Functional and nutritional qualities of whey make this by product an interesting substrate for the development of new food products such as energy drinks, fermented drinks and probiotic foods and vehicles. Despite the good quality proteins of whey, its main protein ß-lactoglobulin is poorly digested and is highly allergenic. Allergic disorders are growing concerns especially in developed countries. Several approaches have been considered to diminish food allergies such as proteolysis through different methods. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB), food-grade microorganisms commonly used in fermented dairy products, are able to degrade milk and whey proteins and to diminish their allergenic content. Moreover, the effect of probiotic LAB and certain Bifidobacterium on food allergy prevention has been studied and showed promising results. This review aims to bring new insights on whey uses in human feed and the development of new functional (fermented) food products.