Dorin Cojocaru, President of the Romanian Employers' Association in the Dairy Industry (APRIL), explained during the “Agriculture in Transition” podcast, produced by G4Food, how whey resulting from the cheese-making process can become a valuable resource for high added-value products — including vodka.

“Dried whey is used to extract lactic protein, which is included in nutritional supplements for children, such as baby formula. But there’s also a more advanced technological method — ultrafiltration through reverse osmosis — which allows for the extraction of lactose permeate, a sugar that can be used to produce alcohol. Anything containing sugar — whether it's glucose, fructose, or lactose — can be fermented and turned into alcohol. So yes, vodka can be made from cow's milk,” said Cojocaru.

In the same appearance, the APRIL president emphasized the need for retechnologizing the industry in order to improve processing efficiency and boost the competitiveness of Romanian products on the European market.

“If I can extract more from the same quantity of raw material, I reduce waste and increase profitability. Currently, direct costs — drivers, transportation, excise duties — are reflected in the final price and make me less competitive compared to processors in other countries. For instance, a Polish or German processor obtains one kilogram of cheese from 7 liters of milk and fully transforms the resulting whey — either into double-distilled water for technical use or into other useful products. In this way, they have zero waste and maximum profit,” concluded Dorin Cojocaru.