Whey, a dairy byproduct offers a challenging task in terms of its disposal. Two functional beverages were produced by blending pineapple juice with cheese whey (W1B) and paneer whey (W2B) at different concentrations (10 %, 20 % and 30 %). The beverages were compared for physico-chemical, microbial and nutraceutical properties over a period of 60 days. Whey addition significantly improved various physico-chemical parameters of the beverages. Higher protein content in W1B and a higher mineral content in W2B without any adverse effects on antioxidant activity was seen because of blending. Whey based beverages showed higher microbial content, sedimentation values and serum separation values than control at all levels of blending. Although, W1B showed highest protein and microbial count but W2B showed highest mineral content and improved shelf life due to significantly lower values of serum separation and sedimentation. It could be concluded that paneer whey based pineapple beverage enable byproduct utilization with excellent nutrition and nutraceutical quality.
Keywords: Antioxidant properties; Beverage; Microbiology; Nutrition; Shelf life; Whey.