Ingredient Information

Function

Cultured whey is a natural, fermented food ingredient that can be added to bread dough as a natural preservative. Although the term or approved label verbiage “cultured whey” is confusing and doesn’t accurately describe the ingredient, it is the starting base product of this ingredient. Cultured whey is a fermented product in which the desired functional food product is what is obtained from that fermentation. The whey is the carbohydrate source in which a culture, probably a lactic acid-type bacteria, is added and fermentation is allowed to occur. The end product is a collection of metabolites produced by the microbe. Most certainly, many types of metabolites are produced; including acids such as lactic, propionic, and other organic acids.

As far as labeling goes, it is impossible to declare all the metabolites produced in this fermentation, thus the term “cultured whey” is used. In addition, the microbes used to ferment the whey do not have to be listed on the food ingredient label. This is a comparable situation to cheese, for example. The microbes used to make cheese are not listed on the cheese ingredient label. This is most likely due to the fact that you are not consuming the microorganisms in the food product, but instead are consuming a product that is the result of the action (fermentation) of microorganisms. Often times, the type of microorganism used is proprietary, but be assured, these microorganisms must be from the family of lactic acid bacteria that are approved for the use in foods.

Cultured whey is sold as a free-flowing powder concentrate that can be easily added to sausage, jerky, salad dressings, cheeses, sauces and baked goods. It is used as an all-natural mold inhibitor and has many other functional advantages for the producer and the consumer. It helps control pH of the dough and helps with stabilizing the dough structure. In some cases, less yeast can be used, due to the advantage of optimal pH conditions. A big plus for the consumer is that the use of cultured whey eliminates the necessity of using chemical preservatives in bread. Manufactures can market their products as preservative free, which means, it doesn’t contain chemical or artificial preservatives. It also has uses as a flavor enhancer and can be used to replace monosodium glutamate (MSG) in foods.

Other Use and Industries

Cultured Whey is used in some pet foods.

Health Effects

Cultured whey is generally regarded as safe (GRAS status). The metabolites or fermentates produced by the lactic acid bacteria are safe, and actually are natural products. We probably already consume these metabolites in the many naturally fermented foods we eat. The only difference with these products is that the metabolites are concentrated, can be mixed with a carrier (maltodextrin), and added to foods that are not typically fermented. It is the same as adding the benefits of fermented foods to non-fermented products. Using cultured whey to replace chemical preservatives is another benefit as many preservatives are under much scrutiny.

The food safety aspect or preservative effect of cultured whey is a great health benefit. Its proven effectiveness in preventing or slowing growth of food spoilage organisms, such as molds, can be health benefit.

The negative side of cultured whey is that the true identity of the product is hidden behind a general labeling term that doesn’t accurately describe the ingredient. Marketing agendas and lobbyists most likely influenced the labeling regulations of this product. But even though this is the case, the fact that this is a natural preservative negates any bad marketing tricks.

It may be hard to determine all the ingredients and their sources used in the manufacture of cultured whey. From what consumer information is available, cultured whey contains whey and a food-grade microbe. Obtaining information on the microbe used to culture the whey will prove to be more difficult as manufacturers want to protect their proprietary information.

Origins

Cultured whey is produced by the fermentation of whey with food-grade, lactic acid- bacteria. The actual microbes used to ferment wheat flour can be proprietary, but there are limits as to the types of microbes that can be used. Cultured whey is produced by adding a prepared culture to whey and the mixture is allowed to ferment. Once the fermentation is complete, the product is dried and milled back to powder form. To help the fermentation, distilled vinegar and other ingredients can be added. Maltodextrin or soy oil can also be added as processing aids.