With global demand for dairy products spiraling, and demand outstripping supply, it seems untimely to channel efforts into creating new markets. However, there may be opportunities to reposition whey protein strategically in the marketplace.

Since there are incredible opportunities in both developed and developing markets, we need to make the most of the strong markets and capitalise better on the properties of whey protein.

The successful outcome of the current Global Dairy Platform project to determine the most marketable scientific messages for whey protein will be the identification of “significant” rather than “niche” market opportunities for the future.

After all, some niche markets have long accepted the benefits of whey protein: many professional or semi-professional athletes will take a milk-based protein drink after weight training to help repair and build lean muscle; whey protein is popular with body builders who must avoid fat and promote the laying down of sculpted muscle.

The challenge is to seek applications that appeal to wider audiences.

This is where GDP can harness the right scientific research and distil the messages that work in today’s environment for the benefit of its members. When looking at the potential for mass markets, it is important to understand why whey protein is the right product to turn into the next “superfood”.

In short, cheese consumption across the world continues to rise. The knock-on effect is an increase in whey protein production. Since every 100kg of milk creates 10-20kg cheese and 80-90kg whey, what to do with the whey protein has been a problem for processors since the time of the ancient Greeks.

Global whey protein production is estimated at some 80-130 million metric tonnes annually.

Up until now with the rising markets, whey protein is used in feed and food. In some countries, it is sprayed on fields. With its extremely high “pollutability” – a biological oxygen demand (BOD)100 times that of raw sewage – options for disposing of it in this way are likely to be limited in the future as environmental practices tighten.

However, this problem need not exist. Whey protein is an extremely valuable source of amino acids; it has the highest biological value (i.e., the highest proportion of “absorbable” protein) of any known protein.

As discussed in the May issue of The Platform, Professor Dr. Gertjan Schaafsma’s paper on the scientific-based opportunities for whey protein will be scrutinised shortly by the GDP Communication and Scientific Advisory Board. The protection of lean body mass, weight management, and immune and antioxidant effects are among the wide range of possibilities he discusses in his paper.

The key will be identifying the strength of the potential messages that could be delivered against each of these opportunities, and the potential market for each use.

However, the current environment certainly lends itself to several of these applications. For example, an ageing population worldwide suggests that whey protein holds considerable promise in the treatment of both sarcopenia and changing protein metabolism caused by a variety of clinical conditions. Increasing obesity rates in developed countries also make whey protein’s role in weight management of great interest, not only to the medical community but also to the informed public.

“This report will really crystallise the key opportunities for whey protein”, explained Kevin Bellamy, GDP Executive Director. “We will be contacting members of GDP in turn to run through the opportunities so that those of greatest interest can be properly investigated before final presentation to the committee”.