Dairy side streams, such as whey permeate, is rich in organic carbon. It is composed of lactose (up to 80 wt% of dissolved solids) and other carbon-based nutrients in smaller quantities (such as proteins, lipids and vitamins). Its disposal poses significant environmental problems because of its high organic matter contents, BOD level and COD level. For this reason, successful valorisation of this waste stream into viable and profitable new co-products is of critical importance. Microalgae, a promising source of high-value antioxidant bioactive food products, can serve as an attractive valorisation strategy for dairy by-products due to their rapid product accumulation and non-requirements for agricultural resources. This project aims to examine the use of dairy processing waste, in particular whey permeate, as a potential carbon-rich growth medium for the cultivation of Nannochloropsis sp., a microalgae strain rich in omega-3 oils (up to 10 wt% biomass) and β-carotene. The microalgae biomass generated from the cultivation can be further processed to produce high-value nutraceutical products used in the food or feed industry (including within dairy industry). The project has received funding from Enterprise Ireland and UCD-CSC Scholarship Programme.
Investigators: Dr. Hossein Kiani, Yuchen Li, Mengsong Xiao
