The Verkhnedvinsk Butter and Cheese Plant will be the first in Belarus to produce demineralized dry whey

April 5, Vitebsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA /. OJSC "Verkhnedvinsk Dairy and Cheese Factory" plans to conduct a trial technological launch in the whey drying workshop in June and begin producing a new type of product, the chief engineer of the enterprise Vladimir Rakshnya told a BELTA correspondent. The new workshop is designed to dry 200 tons of whey per day. With its commissioning, the enterprise will have a waste-free production and solve environmental problems with waste disposal. Whey, as a byproduct of milk processing, is rich in milk proteins, lactoglobulin, lactalbumin, and immunoglobulin. Dry whey is a raw material for the food and pharmaceutical industries, and is also used to produce whole milk replacer in animal husbandry for feeding calves. According to the chief engineer, thanks to the electrodialysis units specially purchased in the Czech Republic, Verkhnedvinsk Dairy and Cheese Factory will be the first in Belarus to produce demineralized whey, which has a wider range of applications in the food industry, including for baby food. Dry whey is in demand both in the domestic and foreign markets. Part of the new product is planned to be sold for export. Currently, equipment from European manufacturers is being installed in the newly built production facility, and engineering communications are being connected. The total cost of the project is Br38 billion, of which Br13 billion is for equipment. The project is being implemented in accordance with the state program for processing whey and producing dry milk. It is included in the list of the most important investment projects planned for implementation in 2011. Verkhnedvinsk Dairy and Cheese Factory was established in 1964. The enterprise was corporatized in 1999, and its founder is the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee. The state owns 95.3% of the shares. The plant specializes in the production of hard rennet cheeses and butter. According to preliminary data for the first quarter, the production growth rate at current prices was 126.4%. The export growth rate in January-February exceeded 175%. In two months, labor productivity increased by almost 37%. OJSC "Verkhnedvinsk Dairy and Cheese Factory" was the first in Belarus to receive a certificate of conformity to the quality management system LST EN ISO 9001:2008 and food safety LST EN ISO 22000:2005. -0-