Toward the future of next-generation dairy foods—A processing perspective and economic analysis*

There is a need for sustainable food production and processing that reduces resource use and increases the availability of nutritious, innovative, and sustainable food. A coordinated, multisectoral approach across the food supply chain is essential to address global food and nutrition insecurity. The dairy industry produces abundant bioactive compound streams that can be examined for their valuable functionalities. Whey protein phospholipid concentrate (WPPC) is a byproduct of whey protein isolate production and a source of many bioactive compounds, including the milk fat globule membrane (MFGM). Milk fat globule membrane has unique functionalities, such as promoting brain development, modulating the immune system, improving the growth of desirable gut bacteria, and reducing inflammatory and metabolic diseases. We recently demonstrated that WPPC contained relatively higher levels of MFGM proteins, representing 23% of the total protein and phospholipids accounting for 20% of the total fatty acid pool. In this symposium review, we use WPPC as a case study to demonstrate dairy streams with the potential to be used as cutting-edge ingredients to develop next-generation dairy foods that are nourishing, innovative, and sustainable. Additionally, we assessed the economic costs and benefits of higher-valued uses of WPPC (e.g., in human food applications rather than as animal feed), which complements the discussion of the functionality of WPPC in various applications.