Enhancement of waste from the dairy industry: production of a fermented product based on whey with nutraceutical properties

Buffalo whey from Campania is a highly polluting by-product of the dairy industry that requires an alternative route for the disposal and recovery of the organic molecules present within it. Among the whey recovery processes, in addition to the already known processes for the production of supplements for athletes, there are also biotechnological processes such as fermentation that allow for a final product enriched with bioactive molecules. These molecules, called peptides, are amino acid sequences with a number from 2 to 20 that are contained within the protein sequences in an inactive form. Following the action of microorganisms, these molecules are released and based on the sequence and its length, they can have a different effect on the human body, improving the health of the consumer. Buffalo whey from Campania is a by-product rich in microorganisms characteristic of the dairy environment; the composition of the population also depends on the addition of starter during the production phases that characterize the final product. Microbial characterization of two serum samples was performed to determine their composition in bacteria, fungi and yeasts.