Turning whey into wine?

Iceland Dairies (known in Iceland as ‘MS’) and Matís (an Icelandic research company working in food and biotechnology) are actively looking into ways of turning whey into wine, or rather whether ethanol can be produced from the by-products of cheese production.

Large quantities of left-over whey are generated in the cheese-making process. This is used to make whey-protein concentrate, which is in turn used to make protein drinks or recycled for cheese-making.

This process generates a further by-product, known as ‘lactose water’, for which no use has yet been found, according to Björn S. Gunnarsson, Head of Product Development at MS.