AEDIL Dairy CoVe’s Post

Another remarkable study tour from the Serbian AEDIL Dairy CoVe, this time in Dublin for the 11th International Whey Conference, "The Whey Forward" The visit included several CoVE activities: ✔️A meeting with Irish AEDILdairyCoVE representatives, Alan Kelly and Seamus O'Mahony; ✔️A poster presentation in the Consumers Preference section; ✔️Dissemination of AEDIL Dairy CoVE’s mission and results among EU and U.S. dairy experts; ✔️Gaining emerging knowledge and insights on whey products in terms of nutrition, technology, consumer preferences, and sustainability. While flying back to Belgrade, I'm reflecting on my top three highlights from the conference: 1️⃣Whey powders are at the center of food trends, as proteins are currently among the most popular food ingredients. My favorite concept is snacks enriched with whey proteins, called "snacks with benefits". However, looking "the whey forward," lactose is also rising in prominence, with growing research, such as by Thom Huppertz, supporting its recognition for functionality. 2️⃣Being a part of the Innovation Incubator project (Inovacioni inkubator - Agrino), I was inspired to realise how #whey is at the forefront of #innovation, with research expanding into areas like #InfantFormula, #AnimalFeed, #biogas, #bioplastics, #biofuels, #biopharmaceuticals (Olivia McAuliffe), as well as products like beer, mayonnaise, and tapioca. However, innovation is only truly successful when research is translated into 'pipes' (Niels Østergaard). 3️⃣ I was proud to witness how the whey processing industry and dairy researchers showed both goodwill and impressive progress in finding smart solutions to incorporate plant-based (Katherine Grasberger, PhD) and cell-based proteins (John Lucey) into the dairy realm, rather than viewing them as rivals. From the conference, the idea emerged that it’s more appropriate to call them "additional" rather than "alternative" proteins. ✴️And the final remark, we enjoyed the most wonderful sunny weather, typical for #Ireland. #wheyconference24 #Erasmus #EU #vocationalexcellence #dairyscience