DTU researchers patent ethanol from whey and spins off company to commercialize it

In Denmark, researchers from the National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, have developed a patented technology which uses lactic acid bacteria to efficiently convert lactose in the whey into ethanol. Ethanol is the type of alcohol that is found in spirits.

The researchers have formed the company Alcowhey, which aims to help smaller dairies use the patented technology to create more value from the whey they produce. The dairies can then sell the ethanol to distillers, who can use it in the production of spirits.