RT Journal Article
T1 Assessing the economic viability, environmental sustainability, and scalability of microbial protein from cheese whey permeate in Europe
A1 Delmoitié, Brecht
A1 Regueira López, Alberte
A1 De Wever, Heleen
A1 Ganigué, Ramon
A1 Sakarika, Myrsini
K1 Alternative protein
K1 Cheese whey permeate
K1 EU protein independence
K1 Lactic acid fermentation
K1 Single-cell proteins
AB Cheese whey permeate (CWP), a nutrient-rich by-product of the dairy industry, holds untapped potential for conversion into microbial protein (MP). This study presents a comprehensive techno-economic analysis and life cycle assessment (LCA) of two distinct MP production routes from CWP: a one-step conversion of lactose to MP, and a two-step route involving lactic acid fermentation prior to MP production. Furthermore, centralised and decentralised MP production systems were compared based on CWP spatial distribution, valorisation scale, and logistical constraints. The two-step MP production, despite higher capital and raw material inputs, achieved the lowest minimum selling price (MSP) of 3.9–5.0 €/kgprotein. This MSP makes the two-step MP production route competitive with other food-grade protein sources, including plant-based (2.5–9.2 €/kgprotein) and animal-based sources (5.9–13.5 €/kgprotein). According to the LCA, the two-step configuration demonstrated a 95.7–99.3% lower overall environmental burden than animal-derived proteins (beef, pork, chicken) and outperformed plant-based alternatives such as pea protein. Decentralised MP production at 100 ton CWP/h emerged as the most viable scale due to reduced MSP and compatibility with mid-sized cheese producers. Centralised production was restricted in scale due to the heterogeneous distribution of CWP across Europe. Valorisation of 80% of Europe's CWP into food-grade MP through decentralised facilities could replace up to 7.2% of the European animal protein needs and substantially reduce the environmental impact. This work provides key insights into economic feasibility, environmental sustainability, and deployment strategies for MP production from CWP, highlighting its potential as an alternative protein source.
PB Elsevier
YR 2026
FD 2026-01-08
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10347/45388
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10347/45388
LA eng
NO Chemical Engineering Journal Volume 529, 1 February 2026, 172774
NO B.D. was supported by the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO-Vlaanderen; Grant number: 1S20323N). M.S. was supported by Ghent University (BOF24/PDO/023). A.R belongs to a Galician Competitive Research Group (GRC ED431C 2021/37), cofunded by ERDF (EU). R.G. gratefully acknowledges support from BOF Basic Research Funding (BOF.BAF.2024.0502.01). The authors also thank Quinten Mariën for valuable feedback on the manuscript.
DS Minerva
RD 7 jun 2026