Microbial biotechnology of milk whey processing for agricultural needs

¹ Tashkent Institute of Irrigation and Agricultural Mechanization Engineers” National Research University, 39, Street Kari Niyaziy, Tashkent, 100000, Uzbekistan
² Almalyk branch of the Tashkent State Technical University named after Islam Karimov, Almalyk, Uzbekistan
³ Tashkent State Transport University, street Adilkhodjaeva 1, Mirabad district, Tashkent, 100067, Uzbekistan
⁴ Termiz State Pedagogical Institute, Termiz, Uzbekistan
⁵ Kuban State Agrarian University named after I. T. Trubilin, Krasnodar, Russia

^* Corresponding author: k.astanakulov@tiiame.uz

Abstract

There are a number of approaches to whey utilisation, from direct feeding to animals to processing into products for the food industry. However, these methods have limitations, including high moisture content and processing costs. An alternative promising avenue is microbial biotechnology, which can convert whey into valuable products rich in protein, vitamins and other bioactive substances. This approach not only reduces resource losses but is also an environmentally friendly method. The aim of this work was to study the possibilities of microbial biotechnology application for whey processing, as well as to analyse the existing methods and prospects for their development. During the study, different types of whey were studied, their chemical composition was determined and experiments on whey digestion using different microorganisms were carried out. The analyses showed that whey is a valuable source of nutrients, particularly lactose (4.2-5.0%), which can serve as a substrate for microorganisms. The dry matter content varied from 6.4 to 6.6% and protein from 0.8 to 1%. After digestion, the dry matter content of the whey increased by 15-20% and the amount of protein increased by 2.5-3 times, for example, with Lactobacillus casei, the protein content increased from 1% to 2.7% in 48 hours, and with Saccharomyces cerevisiae to 3.1% in the same period. The amino acid composition also showed a significant increase in lysine content from 13.7% to 20.2%. The results showed that whey is a valuable raw material for obtaining various products that can be used as feed and food ingredients.