Arla Foods Ingredients targets acid whey elimination with high-yield solution

Press release May 14, 2025

Arla Foods Ingredients has launched a “Maximum yield, no acid whey” concept that demonstrates how acid whey can be eliminated from the strained dairy production process to enhance efficiency and maximise yield.

On a traditional processing line for strained dairy products, two-thirds of the milk used is typically filtered off as acid whey. This represents a significant loss of productivity and nutrients, and also creates disposal challenges and costs for manufacturers.

The new concept showcases Arla Foods Ingredients’ Nutrilac^® HighYield range of milk proteins as an innovative, no-waste solution for dairy producers. Adding Nutrilac^® HighYield prior to fermentation enables dairies to omit the acid-whey separation or filtration steps, resulting in zero acid whey and 100% milk yield.

Nutrilac^® HighYield requires minimal and manageable modifications to standard production lines and reduces the need for separation/filtration equipment, which is costly to acquire and maintain. It also offers greater flexibility, enabling dairies to increase their volumes of final products or maintain current volumes with up to 85% less milk and shorter processing times.

Four new high-yield concepts from Arla Foods Ingredients demonstrate the benefits of Nutrilac^® HighYield ingredients for zero-waste strained dairy production:

A 4% fat Greek-style yoghurt with a delicious thick texture and mouthfeel
A 7.4% protein cottage cheese with appealing softness and a clean, mild taste
A 10% protein cottage cheese with milky notes and real cheese texture in the curd
A cream cheese with a smooth, spreadable texture that is also ideal for cooking

In all the recipes, Nutrilac^® HighYield’s excellent water-binding properties ensure product stability, preserving creamy texture and taste throughout shelf life.

Claus Bukbjerg Andersen, Senior Category Manager, Arla Foods Ingredients, said: “Our new ‘Maximum yield, no acid whey’ concept builds on our ‘Upcycle your whey to value’ concept, which focused on utilising acid whey side-streams. With Nutrilac^® HighYield, we can offer a zero acid-waste solution which simplifies production and allows dairies to make the most of every last drop of milk. Nutrilac^® HighYield’s specialised milk proteins lock all the goodness of milk inside the final product to create delicious dairy treats with a tailored texture and taste that consumers love. This taps into the growing market for high-quality, high-protein and environmentally conscious dairy products. As well as helping dairies reach their sustainability goals with minimal investment, our new concept opens up opportunities to expand their portfolio of premium, indulgent products with relative ease.”

Find out more about Arla Foods Ingredients’ “Maximum yield, no acid whey” concept at:

https://www.arlafoodsingredients.com/dairy/explore-industry/ingredients--solutions/fresh-dairy-products/high-yield-dairy/

For more information contact:

Steve Harman, Ingredient Communications
Tel: +44 (0)7538 118079 | Email: steve@ingredientcommunications.com

About Arla Foods Ingredients
Arla Foods Ingredients is a global leader in improving premium nutrition. Together with our customers, research partners, suppliers, NGOs and others, we discover and deliver documented ingredients and products that can advance lifelong nutrition for the benefit of consumers around the world.

We serve leading global brands in early life nutrition, medical nutrition, sports nutrition, health foods, and other foods and beverages.

Five reasons to choose us: