Fjölrit RALA - 22.03.1979, Page 10

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A. SUMMARY
Annually, approximately 7 million liters of skyr whey
are discarded in Iceland. Experiments suggest that there
are great possibilities to utilize at least part of this
amount in the production of refreshment beverages.
The natural skyr whey is regarded as being too thin
and acid for consumption by many people. It was therefore
concentrated by removing part of the water by a technique
named reverse osmosis. The best beverages were obtained
when 25% of the original water is removed and pure fruit
juices added to the concentrated whey in the ratio whey:
juice 70:30.
The most preferable fruit juices were orange, tomato,
grape, pineapple and apricot juices. Apple and pear juices
were not suitable, It must also be taken into consideration
that the quality of the juices varies greatly depending on
the manufacturer.
The main problem encountered in these experiments was
the occurrence of white skyr particles floating in the whey.
It is possible to prevent this by centrifuging the concen-
trated whey before blending.
B. INTRODUCTION
Skyr whey is a unique by-product of the dairy industry
in that it was commonly consumed in Iceland in past centuries
as a refreshment beverage. Today, it is regarded by most
people as too sour for consumption but this is a problem
which can be solved and there seem to be great possibilities
of utilizing the whey to make beverages. Skyr whey is a
unique Icelandic product and therefore research done in
other countries is of little significance when looking for
ways to utilize the whey.
Approximately 7 million liters of skyr whey are discarded
annually with half of this amount coming from the Flóa Dairy
or the M.B.F. Skyr whey contains approximately 4% lactose,
0.7% minerals and high levels of B^vitamins. Great amounts
of nutrients are therefore wasted annually - 270 tons of
lactose, 42 tons of protein, 8.8 tons of calcium, 8.6 tons
of potassium, etc.