Mozzarella whey demineralization

What is mozzarella?

Mozzarella is a popular cheese of Italian origin, known for its soft texture, mild flavour, and stretchability when heated. It is commonly made from cow’s or buffalo’s milk using a process that includes coagulation, cutting the curd, heating, and then stretching – a mechanical treatment in hot water (up to 90 °C) that creates its characteristic elastic strands.

During production, a significant amount of liquid whey is separated. This whey contains water-soluble nutrients such as lactose, minerals, organic acids, and residual whey proteins.

Why process mozzarella whey?

Historically, whey from mozzarella production was considered a waste product and was often discharged into the sewer system or used as animal feed. Today, we know that this by-product contains valuable components that can be economically recovered.

In particular, ultrafiltration permeate, which no longer contains proteins, is an ideal candidate for demineralization by electrodialysis. The result is a product with reduced salt and organic acid content, suitable for further processing – e.g. evaporation, fermentation, or as a raw material for animal feed.

Why process mozzarella whey? pt. 2

However, it is essential to evaluate composition and yield in each specific case – some applications may result in dry matter losses (e.g. 1–3 %) that impact the economics of drying.

Processing mozzarella whey can unlock new business opportunities – even beyond traditional dairy use. It may find applications in the pharmaceuticals, baking, or confectionery industries. But it is always important to assess whether it makes more sense to target the permeate, concentrate, or protein fraction.

From waste to profit – unlock the full potential of your side streams

Mozzarella production – whether fresh or low-moisture pizza mozzarella – generates a significant amount of whey with every batch. While considered a by-product, this liquid contains valuable components such as lactose and whey proteins.

Part of the whey can be used for ricotta production or as animal feed. However, a large portion – especially ultrafiltration (UF) permeate – often remains underutilized.

This is where MEGA electrodialysis comes in. It can transform these streams into selectively demineralized raw material with various application possibilities. At the same time, it reduces environmental impact while generating economic value.

What type of whey is produced during mozzarella production?

Not all mozzarella is the same – and the same goes for the resulting whey:

The type of whey also affects the choice of pretreatment (e.g. UF) and electrodialysis settings.

In all cases, one thing is clear – if you're not utilizing your whey, you're missing an opportunity.

Pretreatment options

Before electrodialysis, it is recommended to concentrate the whey using one of the following technologies:

• Evaporation
• Nanofiltration
• Reverse osmosis

Electrodialysis – a smart solution for modern dairies

Electrodialysis (ED) is a process that uses ion-selective membranes and an electric field to remove dissociated ions from a solution.

The stream of whey or whey UF permeate is passed between alternately arranged anion and cation membranes, with ions migrating through these membranes towards the respective electrodes.

This process is highly selective, requires no chemical regeneration, and allows precise control over the degree of demineralization.

In practice, electrodialysis provides:

• Reduction of Na⁺, Cl^-, Ca²⁺, lactate, citrate, and other dissociated components.
• Retention of valuable compounds such as lactose and whey proteins.
• Gentle processing at low temperatures (8–15 °C).