Concentrated Buffalo Whey as Substrate for Probiotic Cultures and as Source of Bioactive Ingredients: A Local Circular Economy Approach towards Reuse of Wastewaters

Waste reduction and reuse is a crucial target of current research efforts. In this respect, the present study was focused on providing an example of local investment in a simple process configuration that converts whey into value-added compounds and allows recovery of a clean water stream. In partic...

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Main Authors: Alberto Alfano, Sergio D’ambrosio, Antonella D’Agostino, Rosario Finamore, Chiara Schiraldi, Donatella Cimini
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2021-11-01
Series:Fermentation
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2311-5637/7/4/281
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author Alberto Alfano
Sergio D’ambrosio
Antonella D’Agostino
Rosario Finamore
Chiara Schiraldi
Donatella Cimini
author_facet Alberto Alfano
Sergio D’ambrosio
Antonella D’Agostino
Rosario Finamore
Chiara Schiraldi
Donatella Cimini
author_sort Alberto Alfano
collection DOAJ
description Waste reduction and reuse is a crucial target of current research efforts. In this respect, the present study was focused on providing an example of local investment in a simple process configuration that converts whey into value-added compounds and allows recovery of a clean water stream. In particular, buffalo milk whey obtained during mozzarella manufacturing was ultrafiltered in-house on spiral membrane modules (20 kDa), and the two obtained fractions, namely the retentate and the permeate, provided by the dairy factory, were further processed during this work. The use of an additional nanofiltration step allowed the recovery of high-quality water to be reused in the production cycle (machine rinsing water within the facility) and/or in agriculture, also reducing disposal costs and the environmental impact. The ultrafiltration retentate, on the other hand, was spray-dried and the powder obtained was used as the main substrate for the cultivation of <i>Lactobacillus fermentum</i>, a widely studied probiotic with anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory and cholesterol-lowering properties. In addition, the same sample was tested in vitro on a human keratinocytes model. Resuspended concentrated whey powder improved cell reparation rate in scratch assays, assisted through time-lapse video-microscopy. Overall these data support the potential of buffalo whey as a source of biologically active components and recyclable water in the frame of a local circular economy approach.
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spelling doaj.art-573212f19c4549f2b03a3b5cc331b2002023-11-23T08:13:26ZengMDPI AGFermentation2311-56372021-11-017428110.3390/fermentation7040281Concentrated Buffalo Whey as Substrate for Probiotic Cultures and as Source of Bioactive Ingredients: A Local Circular Economy Approach towards Reuse of WastewatersAlberto Alfano0Sergio D’ambrosio1Antonella D’Agostino2Rosario Finamore3Chiara Schiraldi4Donatella Cimini5Department of Experimental Medicine, Section of Biotechnology, Medical Histology and Molecular Biology, University of Campania L. Vanvitelli, Via de Crecchio 7, 80138 Naples, ItalyDepartment of Experimental Medicine, Section of Biotechnology, Medical Histology and Molecular Biology, University of Campania L. Vanvitelli, Via de Crecchio 7, 80138 Naples, ItalyDepartment of Experimental Medicine, Section of Biotechnology, Medical Histology and Molecular Biology, University of Campania L. Vanvitelli, Via de Crecchio 7, 80138 Naples, ItalyDepartment of Experimental Medicine, Section of Biotechnology, Medical Histology and Molecular Biology, University of Campania L. Vanvitelli, Via de Crecchio 7, 80138 Naples, ItalyDepartment of Experimental Medicine, Section of Biotechnology, Medical Histology and Molecular Biology, University of Campania L. Vanvitelli, Via de Crecchio 7, 80138 Naples, ItalyDepartment of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, University of Campania L. Vanvitelli, Via Vivaldi 43, 81100 Caserta, ItalyWaste reduction and reuse is a crucial target of current research efforts. In this respect, the present study was focused on providing an example of local investment in a simple process configuration that converts whey into value-added compounds and allows recovery of a clean water stream. In particular, buffalo milk whey obtained during mozzarella manufacturing was ultrafiltered in-house on spiral membrane modules (20 kDa), and the two obtained fractions, namely the retentate and the permeate, provided by the dairy factory, were further processed during this work. The use of an additional nanofiltration step allowed the recovery of high-quality water to be reused in the production cycle (machine rinsing water within the facility) and/or in agriculture, also reducing disposal costs and the environmental impact. The ultrafiltration retentate, on the other hand, was spray-dried and the powder obtained was used as the main substrate for the cultivation of <i>Lactobacillus fermentum</i>, a widely studied probiotic with anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory and cholesterol-lowering properties. In addition, the same sample was tested in vitro on a human keratinocytes model. Resuspended concentrated whey powder improved cell reparation rate in scratch assays, assisted through time-lapse video-microscopy. Overall these data support the potential of buffalo whey as a source of biologically active components and recyclable water in the frame of a local circular economy approach.https://www.mdpi.com/2311-5637/7/4/281whey productproteinsultrafiltrationnanofiltrationkeratinocytes scratch assaymozzarella cheese manufacturing
spellingShingle Alberto Alfano
Sergio D’ambrosio
Antonella D’Agostino
Rosario Finamore
Chiara Schiraldi
Donatella Cimini
Concentrated Buffalo Whey as Substrate for Probiotic Cultures and as Source of Bioactive Ingredients: A Local Circular Economy Approach towards Reuse of Wastewaters
Fermentation
whey product
proteins
ultrafiltration
nanofiltration
keratinocytes scratch assay
mozzarella cheese manufacturing
title Concentrated Buffalo Whey as Substrate for Probiotic Cultures and as Source of Bioactive Ingredients: A Local Circular Economy Approach towards Reuse of Wastewaters
title_full Concentrated Buffalo Whey as Substrate for Probiotic Cultures and as Source of Bioactive Ingredients: A Local Circular Economy Approach towards Reuse of Wastewaters
title_fullStr Concentrated Buffalo Whey as Substrate for Probiotic Cultures and as Source of Bioactive Ingredients: A Local Circular Economy Approach towards Reuse of Wastewaters
title_full_unstemmed Concentrated Buffalo Whey as Substrate for Probiotic Cultures and as Source of Bioactive Ingredients: A Local Circular Economy Approach towards Reuse of Wastewaters
title_short Concentrated Buffalo Whey as Substrate for Probiotic Cultures and as Source of Bioactive Ingredients: A Local Circular Economy Approach towards Reuse of Wastewaters
title_sort concentrated buffalo whey as substrate for probiotic cultures and as source of bioactive ingredients a local circular economy approach towards reuse of wastewaters
topic whey product
proteins
ultrafiltration
nanofiltration
keratinocytes scratch assay
mozzarella cheese manufacturing
url https://www.mdpi.com/2311-5637/7/4/281
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