Odds are you've seen the word "whey" while walking grocery store aisles, commonly found in many health supplements and fitness protein bars. It could have been from a quick glance at ingredients to your favorite salad dressing, a savory spread or protein bar that read, "This product contains whey." If you're a new parent, you might have reached for that fresh can of baby formula and found yourself reading the same words.
Today, this product is valued for its health benefits that come from its rich amounts of protein and its inclusion of essential vitamins and minerals. From aiding in patient recovery to nourishing infants, whey has become a staple ingredient in many food products and medical nutrition plans both in the U.S.
and globally. But what is whey, and how has it become an increasingly present ingredient in so many food and health products? Jennifer Spencer, Ph.D.
, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service dairy specialist and assistant professor in the Texas A&M Department of Animal Science, Stephenville, shared her expertise on whey's past, present and future. What is whey and how is it made? During the cheese-making process, the cheese curdles and creates a liquid byproduct known as whey, Spencer said. "For decades and decades, cheese makers didn't know what to do with it," she said.
It was initially fed to animals as a protein supplement to help manage the surplus of product or it was discarded. "However, in the early 2000s, scientists and the dairy industry realized th.