First International Conference on MOLDAVIAN RISKS – FROM ...

<strong>First</strong> <strong>International</strong> <strong>Conference</strong> on MOLDAVIAN RISKS - FROM GLOBAL TO LOCAL SCALE
16-19 May 2012, Bacau, Romania
VALORIZATION OF WHEY FROM DAIRIES AS FERTILIZER.
WHEY INFLUENCE ON GERMINATION AND PLANT
GROWTH
L. Grosu 1 , B. Fernandez 2 , C. G. Grigoras 1 , O. I. Patriciu 1 , I. C. Grig-Alexa 1 , D.
Nicuta 3 , D. Ciobanu 1 , V. Nedeff 4 , L. Gavrila 1 , A. L. Finaru 1
1 ”Vasile Alecsandri” University of Bacau, Department of Chemical and Food Engineering, Romania,
2 Ecole Polytechnique Universitaire de Lille, Département Génie Biologique – Industries
Agro-alimentaires, Avenue Paul Langevin, 59655 Villeneuve d’Ascq Cedex, France, 3 ”Vasile
Alecsandri” University of Bacau, Department of Biology, Ecology and Environmental Protection,
Romania, 4 ”Vasile Alecsandri” University of Bacau, Department of Mechanical and Environmental
Engineering, Romania
Corresponding author: L. Grosu, lumig@ub.ro,
Abstract: Whey is the main by-product of the dairy industry, the acid whey being seen as a
waste product. Each kg of produced cheese generates 8 to 12 kg of whey that contents most of
the saccharydes and minerals from the raw milk. Despite the fact that whey is an important raw
material for producing dietary food products, proteic concentrates, nutraceuticals, specialty
chemicals, etc., large quantities of whey are still unused, being a burden for the wastewater
treatment plants. The use of whey as crops fertilizer may enhance agricultural production, thus
minimizing the food security risks. The literature concerning recovery and/or valorization of
the by-products from the dairy industry reveals that whey represents a product of major
interest. From the researches conducted to date has been found that spread as fertilizer on
cultivated lands, whey affords the improvement of nutrients flux from plants. Indeed, nitrogen,
phosphorus, sulfur, calcium, sodium and magnesium, lactose and proteins from whey can play
this role and lead to increased crop productivity. The amounts of these compounds from whey
can be considered sufficient for plant growth. In the present paper, the possibility of direct
valorization of whey as fertilizer was investigated. For this study, the experiments were carried
out on three species of plants: broccoli (Brassica oleracea L., var botrytis, subvar. cymosa.),
soy (Glicine max (L) Merr) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). The acid whey used for these
experiments became from the manufacturing process of traditional „telemea” cheese and was
provided by a local company. The seeds were wetted with distilled water (for the blank
sample), with distilled water/whey mixtures in different ratios (1:1, 1:4) and with whey only.
The germination capacity of seeds was examined. The highest values for the germination were
obtained in the case of the broccoli seeds, and the most favorable water/whey ratio was 1:1,
followed by the mixture 1:4. The accumulation of the fresh and dry biomass after the pot
development phase was analyzed. Aerial parts of wheat, soy and broccoli plants and soy roots
were harvested, measured, counted and weighed in order to estimate the effect produced by the
addition of whey on plants growth and development. The results obtained in the case of the
three studied species suggested the positive effect of the whey addition. Harvested plant
material was extracted in order to perform qualitative and quantitative analyses concerning the
chemical composition. The extraction of plant material was realized by classical methods and
under microwaves. The preliminary results of thin layer chromatography (TLC) and UV-VIS
spectroscopy analysis of the extracts confirmed the positive influence of whey addition,
encouraging further research.
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