WHEY WASTE.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIX, Issue 5224, 9 January 1928, Page 1

WHEY WASTE.

UTILISING A NUISAN4M

PRODUCTION OF ANIMAL FOODS.

The problem of the disposal of the whey residue from cheese factories has been of some concern to dairy companies in New Zealand,' especially in those districts where pig breeding is not carried on to any extent. The overflow becomes a nuisance with which companies find it hard to cope. The same problem, in a varying degree, rhas been experienced in England., .where Dr. Leonard Harding, Ph.D’., Cantab., of Manchester, has for. some years been conducting research work with a vie.w to overcoming the various difficulties which surplus' wlhey present, and. to try and convert it into a payable commodity. Great mortality amongst fish was experienced in England as. a result of whey being turned into the streams, while, the useful bacteria in th q filter beds were being-rendered useless. The problem of| this waste product became more difficult in England since cheese-making was transferred from the farm-houses to the factories, where greater volumes had to be dealt with. Continental methods of handling whey, by the manufacture of milk suga.r, were not applicable to conditions in England, as there was not sufficient whey in any one dairy in England to make sugar production profitable, and whey contains, so much wateir that it was impracticable to cart it about to the various centres.

Dr. Harding first commenced his investigations on behalf of the Royal Agricultural Sloeiety, and later on, on a larger scale, for the Ministry o 4 Agriculture. _Hei evolved . a scheme whereby the whey ■ was treated at the point of production by means of a specially designed evaporator, which uses a minimum of fuefl. The concentrated' product, in the form of a syrup, is then carted to a central fac-, tory, where the milk, sugar is extract■ed and animal foods are made from the solids. This work is> mow bejing carried out by a private company, which 'has purchased the research factory from the Ministry of Agriculture. This company is handling the minimum economic quantity of whey (one million gallons a year), and is seeking to extend its activities. INVESTIGATIONS IN DOMINION. With a view to introducing the, process to New Zealand Dr. Harding is now visiting the Dominion, and last week, at Hamilton, he explained his process to representative dairymen, (states the Waikato Times). He told the meeting that he. hoped to obtain concessions in New Zealand, probably with the object of floating a New Zealand company, which might run into a few millions sterling, with, the idea of trying to solve the waste that goes ■on; and at the same time clearing up the; nuisance. Dr. Harding explained that it might be better to put in evaporators here and. to tranship thq syrup to England, or it might, on the other hand, be considered more advantageous, owing to local conditions, to establish central condensories with a radius of from five) to ten miles, and to cart the whey to the condensories. The; bulk of the whey would have to go into animal foods, as the market for milk sugar was not a strong one. ' Milk sugar was., made from refined lactose, but he wais hoping to find a use for thei crude lactosq which would help the economies of the process, > He madQ it quite clear that there was no fortune for the farmer ip puting his whey to the use suggested. It would only be of any use to the proposed company, if it could be bought at abcut %d per gallon, and., the farmer would have to be content ver” largely with getting rid of a nuisance, although the by-pro-duct would, nevertheless, bring some return to dairy companies, of a few hundreds or thousands sterling a year, according to supply. Referring to the value of whey as a pig food Dr. Harding said that the food value was not in proportion to the amount of liquid consumed, whereas in the nonce,ntrated form, the, whey became practically all food. .The concentrated food would, of course, naturally be ■made expensive, but it would be worth the additional cost, and would have the added advantage that it would keep indefinitely and would be available in the winter months when there, was no whey.

It was. probable, said the visitor, if the scheme was successfully launched in England, that the animal foods, would be manufactureid in New Zealand, but the milk sugar would be made in England.