CREAMSENS is an innovative project developed by QUEIZUAR, a Spanish SME producing PDO cheeses, with the goal of maximising the value of whey—a by-product generated in large volumes (over 100,000 litres/day) and traditionally difficult to manage. The project focused on improving the skimming process to enable the valorisation of all whey components: fat, protein, and lactose. In doing so, CREAMSENS contributes to greater sustainability, product quality, and business growth.
Despite having the capacity to valorise protein and lactose, QUEIZUAR lacked precision in the fat separation (skimming) process. This was manually controlled, leading to inconsistencies between cream batches and occasional losses due to poor-quality whey cream. The company also had no means of evaluating the incoming whey’s quality in real time, making it difficult to determine the best moment for skimming. This not only affected product quality but also increased environmental impacts from spills and treatment inefficiencies.
CREAMSENS introduced a novel approach in the Galician dairy sector by integrating advanced equipment—such as a Coriolis flowmeter and online NIR sensors—directly into the whey skimming line. These technologies, more commonly used in other applications, were adapted to deliver precise data on whey flow and composition. This automation enabled continuous control of fat levels and reduced dependency on manual adjustments.
The solution proved not only effective for QUEIZUAR, but also replicable for similar SMEs, offering a pathway to more independent and efficient whey valorisation without the need for external processing facilities.
The results of CREAMSENS were both environmental and economic:
One of the major ambitions of the project is the production of premium whey cream butter, a niche product with strong market potential in the region. Recipe optimisation is already underway to ensure the best sensory, microbiological, and physicochemical qualities before commercial launch.
Beyond technical success, CREAMSENS empowered partners and subcontractors to gain valuable expertise in implementing such solutions, enabling future replication across the Galician dairy sector. Organisations such as ANFACO are now positioned to support wider adoption among regional SMEs.
