Whey protein, a milk protein that is a byproduct of cheese production, is often used in protein bars and shakes, but scientists in Barcelona have discovered that it can also be made into a more sustainable plastic for food packaging.
The WheyLayer project was funded by the European Commission to find an alternative to petroleum sources in food packaging. Through this project, research company IRIS found that whey protein could replace synthetic petroleum-based polymers. The whey protein plastic has similar oxygen-blocking properties to traditional food packaging, but it's cheaper to make and, even better, more easily recyclable.
Traditional plastic packaging is hard to recycle because the petroleum-based polymers are almost impossible to separate for individual recycling, but with the whey protein plastic, the whey can be removed with enzymes so that the remaining film can be recycled or reused in new packaging.
This process also keeps the 40 percent of whey protein discarded by European cheese factories out of landfills.
via Earth911
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written by Devon Smith, September 01, 2011
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written by teflonic, September 02, 2011
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written by Matt, September 02, 2011
"This process also keeps the 40 percent of whey protein discarded by European cheese factories out of landfills."
So unless you pick you food up at the local dump, then they aren't diverting your food.
If anything this would drvie down the cost of cheese, since they could make money on something they have to pay to have removed now.
Want to drive down the cost of corn? Find a use for corn stacks that would pay farmers about $100 a pound for the stacks and corn proces would drop big time.
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written by Carly, September 03, 2011
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written by Brother Phil, September 11, 2011
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"From the article, I'd suggest that things like that use 60% of the whe..."
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