Evolution and distribution of phospholipids in cheese and whey during the manufacturing of fresh cheese from cows' milk

In this study, we report on the evolution of phospholipid contents and their distribution in cheese and whey, during the production of fresh cheese. We found that the phospholipid content in the total mass of whey and fresh cheese together was greater than the content of phospholipids in the starting milk used to make them. This increase was probably due to bacterial growth during fermentation and the consequent synthesis of phospholipids to generate cell membranes. In the coagulation process, ≈20% of the phospholipids were drained in the whey. Based on this result, we conclude that whey might be an interesting source of phospholipids, mainly phosphatidylethanolamine and sphingomyelin, for the food industry.