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Milk whey is a by‐product of the cheese‐making industry which presents about 85‐95 per cent of the milk volume. Whey fermentation by the isolated kefir starter culture could be a sensible solution for the use of this by‐product from the dairy industry. For the first time, in Iran the microbial flora of kefir grain was isolated and identified (Motaghi et al.). This paper aims to examine the various ratios of starter culture of kefir grain for production of fermented beverage using whey as the substrate.

Various ratios of lactic bacteria, yeasts and acetic acid bacteria were tested. The incubation time (24 h) temperature (25^○C), substrate (pasteurized whey), and inoculation rate (3‐5 per cent) and mixing rate (90 rpm) were the same for the all products. The products were analyzed for protein, fat, sugar, alcohol, carbon dioxide, acidity, density, dry material, ash, and riboflavin content.

The quality (smell and flavor) of the product was assessed. Samples produced with 3 per cent (v/v) lactic acid, acetic acid bacterial mixed cultures and 2 per cent (v/v) yeast culture were considered as best with respect to quality and organoleptic quality.

The ability of kefir starter cultures to ferment whey to formulate and mix cultures consisting of certain species of kefir grain micro‐organisms in‐order to develop a procedure where lactic acid fermentation is followed by yeast fermentation. The potential of local kefir starter culture in production of healthy beverage from whey is a new finding since this particular beverage has the taste of artificial butter milk and it is naturally carbonated.

The purpose of this paper is to review the advanced technologies and approaches for utilization of waste generated in dairy industry. Whey is highly contaminated, with a high organic load around 100,000 mg O₂/L COD (chemical oxygen demand), and is not used for further processing. The waste generated in different food industries can be utilized in different value addition product with the help of advanced technology.

Major well-known bibliometric information sources are the Web of Science, Scopus, Mendeley and Google Scholar. Several keywords like nutrition value of whey, whey utilization, whey valorization, whey technologies, whey beverages, fruit-based whey beverage, carbonated beverage, probiotic or alcoholic beverages, herbal beverage, fermented beverage and current scenarios were chosen to obtain a large range of papers to be analyzed. A final inventory of 126 scientific sources was made after sorting and classifying them according to different criteria based on topic, academic field country of origin and year of publication.

The comprehensive review of different literature, data sources and research papers seeks to find and discuss various sustainable solutions to this huge waste generated from milk industry. The sustainable use of whey for production and conversion in different types of products can uplift the bio-based economy of industries and thereof national/international economy. The recent upsurge in consumer interest for health-promoting products has opened up new vistas for whey beverages and other whey products research and development.

The paper draws out different sustainable characteristics and technology of whey products available in market, as well as potential products to be launched in the market. Interestingly, over the past few years, dairy industries have applied various technologies to process cheese whey and are in search of new products which can be prepared from the by-product. This review discusses on the recent research development of whey valorization with particular reference to technologies used in the addition to their commercial availability and a way forward.

Kefir is a traditional fermented dairy beverage that has numerous health benefits due to the presence of bacteria and yeasts in an exopolysaccharide matrix. This study aims to isolate and identify beneficial microorganisms and evaluate the antimicrobial activity of kefir beverage against two important food-borne pathogens including Salmonella Typhimurium and Listeria monocytogenes.

Microorganisms were identified by the polymerase chain reaction with specific primers, and antimicrobial activity was evaluated by the disk diffusion method.

The following microorganisms were identified as natural inhabitants of the kefir grains: Leuconostoc lactis, Lactococcus lactis subspecies lactis, Streptococcus cremoris, Enterococcus faecalis, Enterococcus faecium, Lactobacillus helveticus, Leuconostoc mesenteroides, Lactobacillus fermentum, Lactobacillus reuteri, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus casei, Bifidobacterium langum, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Pichia fermentas. Also, the results obtained from the disk diffusion method showed the inhibitory effect of kefir milk on Salmonella Typhimurium and Listeria monocytogenes with an inhibitory average diameter of 8.3 ± 4–9.1 ± 2.8 and 3.4 ± 3–6.6 ± 3 mm, respectively.

The results of this study showed that Iranian traditional kefir beverage contained different species of lactic acid bacteria and yeasts and has antimicrobial activity against two important food-borne pathogens, Salmonella Typhimurium and Listeria monocytogenes, which the highest inhibitory effect was observed against Salmonella Typhimurium.

Whey products have conventionally been professed as a means of reducing ingredient costs. The authentic benefits of adding whey products are the enhanced worth resulting from flavor, texture and nutritional improvements as well as nutraceutical or health‐enhancing payback. Therefore, the present study aims to isolate and characterize suitable starter cultures for the production of wheyghurt drink.

Keeping in view all the benefits of yoghurt technology this study was planned to isolate the starter cultures and optimize the conditions for the production of wheyghurt drink. The starter cultures (Lactobacillus delbruceckii ssp. Bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus) were isolated from the yoghurt and further characterized on the basis of their morphological and biochemical characteristics. The wheyghurt drink prepared from starter cultures with varying starter culture concentrations (1, 1.5, 2 and 2.5 percent) was analyzed for the physicochemical and sensory characteristics to explore the potential of wheyghurt drink.

During storage, color, flavor, taste and overall acceptability were affected significantly. But the interaction between treatments and storage was found non‐significant to all the sensory parameters. At zero day maximum score (7.40) for overall acceptability was recorded for T₃ and minimum score (5.60) was awarded to T₄. After five, ten and 15 days of storage, judges observed a slight decline in overall acceptability in all wheyghurt drink samples. Hence it was concluded that wheyghurt drink sample T₃ obtained maximum scores regarding the organoleptic evaluation and remained the best.

The key to growth is a continuous evaluation and modification of the product to match consumer expectations. Currently there are many apparent benefits that result from incorporating selected whey products into yogurt formulas. The starter cultures for the production of fermented whey products are not presently produced in Pakistan and are imported for industrial use. The use of LAB as starter culture may help to improve the quality and shelf life of the whey products.

The research is useful for food manufacturers in order to develop functional food products for consumers. Understanding consumer needs and preferences is critical to successful product development and enhancing marketing values of a product. Nutritionally improved foods, such as wheyghurt over the conventional counterpart, will be highly successful in the marketplace. Consumers will prefer such kinds of foods because they are more conscious about their health and such foods provide them with what they desire, i.e. health benefits with good nutrition.