A study conducted by Eden Prairie, Minn.-based Davisco Foods International, Inc. detected no significant change in flavor, aroma, color or nutritional composition in sweet dairy whey and deproteinized whey. The study was conducted in the company’s warehouse, matching real-world conditions products would face prior to shipping to customers. By tracking changes in composition, color, flavor, aroma and solubility, it demonstrated only minimal changes over a three-year shelf life.

The company’s heat-sealed 4-ml thickness polyethylene liner is an excellent moisture barrier, and after three years, the moisture will only rise 0.1% to 0.3% within sealed bags. Because the moisture ranges in the company’s specifications lie within the zone of maximum stability for whey powders as defined by the theoretical moisture monolayer value, no significant changes in these measures occurred.

A longer shelf life for the whey powders benefits warehousing, logistics and manufacturers throughout the supply chain.