April 16, 2025 — Dairy Dimension Bureau
In a landmark development for the global dairy innovation ecosystem, Standing Ovation, a Paris-based biotech firm, and Bel Group, the multinational dairy major behind brands like The Laughing Cow and Babybel, have unveiled a patented precision fermentation process that transforms acid whey—a historically underutilized by-product of dairy processing—into functional casein proteins.
This biotech breakthrough redefines how the industry manages dairy co-products. The collaboration bridges sustainability, protein security, and industrial scalability by converting low-value acid whey into high-functionality casein.
🧬 From Dairy Waste to Nutritional Gold
Acid whey is a by-product of producing cultured dairy products like yogurt and paneer. Due to its high lactose content and low protein yield, it is typically discarded or used as low-value animal feed. Unlike sweet whey, acid whey is harder to process and offers fewer commercial applications—until now.
Through precision fermentation, Standing Ovation has developed a method to revalorise acid whey into high-quality casein, suitable for dairy recombination, hybrid products, or even clean-label cheese alternatives.
The innovation aligns with Bel’s sustainability ambitions and marks a concrete step in its strategic partnership with Standing Ovation, initially launched in 2022 through an investment in fermentation-based dairy alternatives.
🇮🇳 Indian Context: A Paneer Production Paradox
The relevance of this innovation is especially profound in India. The country produces an estimated 1.8 to 2 million tonnes of paneer annually through decentralised or cooperative channels. For every kilogram of paneer produced, approximately 5 to 8 litres of acid whey are generated, most of which is discarded into drains, used as livestock feed, or left unutilized.
“India generates hundreds of millions of litres of acid whey annually from paneer production alone. This is a huge untapped opportunity for sustainable protein recovery. Technologies like Bel and Standing Ovation’s can enable cooperative dairies to turn this liability into a high-value asset,”
— Prashant Tripathi, Dairy Expert, Jordbrukare India
🏭 From Lab Innovation to Industrial Impact
Beyond the lab, the Bel–Standing Ovation solution is engineered for industrial scale-up, offering a model for integrating circular bioeconomy principles into mainstream dairy processing. The process holds promise not only for European plants, but also for large Indian dairies seeking to improve waste management, protein efficiency, and sustainability metrics.
🌍 Toward a Circular Dairy Economy
This development represents more than an environmental win—it’s a business opportunity. As the global dairy industry seeks to balance environmental accountability with protein innovation, this kind of co-product valorization could become standard practice.
India, in particular, stands to benefit if such solutions are localized and made accessible for dairy federations, private processors, and milk unions.
Bel Group shares the development on Linkedin Post.
