The whey is a relevant by-product in the cheese industry for being produced in large volume and for containing approximately 55% of its nutrients from milk. Its industry performance upon human nutrition products is still considered low, because the high concentration of minerals provides a low sensorial acceptation of food. Thus, beverages have been developed, mainly the fermented ones that display new flavors and aromas, aiming at recovering such important source of nutrients for the human food chain. It is observed, therefore, that the use of cheese whey enriches the products that contain them and avoid the culling directly in the soil, in the sewage system, rivers, and lakes, minimizing the negative impact, as discussed in this review.
sustainable use of residues; beverages; environmental damage; cheese whey