Rankin is professor and chair of food science at UW–Madison with an interest in the dairy food processing industry. His research has focused on the characterization of primarily dairy food flavor with sensory and instrumental techniques.
Postdoc (pictured above): Wenjia Wang is a postdoctoral research associate in the Huber Research Group in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at UW–Madison. He specializes in chemical engineering and is passionate about the intersection of water, energy, food, and environmental sustainability.
The dairy industry produces approximately 190 million tons of whey per year as a byproduct, often causing environmental concerns due to improper disposal. The lactose in whey is a valuable resource that can be further utilized instead of being disposed of or solely processed into powders for exportation. Simultaneously, the market is experiencing escalating demands for low-calorie sweeteners, such as tagatose, and health-enhancing prebiotics. This project will transform whey into tagatose and prebiotics. The major objectives include 1) identifying and elucidating efficient isomerization processes to convert the galactose, derived from lactose in whey, into tagatose; 2) developing a sustainable process for the production of prebiotic galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) utilizing whey permeate; and 3) assess the economic viability and environmental impact of this innovative process through TEA and LCA. The methods involve a combination of lab-scale experiments, a range of analytical work, and rigorous data analytics. The ultimate goal of this project is to develop a scalable, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly method for tagatose and GOS production from whey, establishing a win-win situation for both the dairy and food industries. The impacts will be multifaceted: reducing environmental pollution from whey waste, adding economic value to a byproduct, bring a form of economic development to farm business and community sections, and offering health-beneficial ingredients to consumers. Xiaolei Shi and Jarryd Featherman are also CO-PIs on this project.