Fermentation of Dairy Residues/Coproducts Into Valuable Products

The Wisconsin dairy sector has a yearly economic impact  of over $45 billion. While dairies are central to society’s food supply and the vitality of rural communities, farmers and companies that form the Wisconsin Dairy Industry face serious challenges due to depressed product prices, supply chain imbalances and increased operating costs, among others. This project forms a new collaboration between representatives of the Wisconsin dairy sector and campus leaders in fermentation of agricultural waste into valuable products. This collaboration’s goal is to generate valuable products from the abundant non-food dairy residues that remain after milk is processed into food products. These advances will lead to additional government and industry funding while delivering engineered microbial fermentation systems for licensing by the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation. This new university-industry partnership also embodies the Wisconsin Idea by providing valuable, carbon neutral, products that will benefit farmers, citizens, rural communities and the dairy sector.

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR:

Timothy Donohue, professor of bacteriology and interim director of the Wisconsin Energy Intitute

CO-PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS:

Daniel Noguera, professor of civil and environmental engineering

Victor Ujor, assistant professor of food science

INDUSTRY PARTNERS:

Agropur, Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin, Foremost Foods, Grande Custom Ingredients, Schreiber Foods and Wisconsin Cheesemakers Association