Modeling and analysis of economic scenarios of the whey-based carbonated beverage production process

Due to its great polluting potential, different strategies for the industrial use of whey have been adopted. However, in Brazil, a large part of the whey is still not adequately disposed. In this context, the production of carbonated beverages based on whey is an alternative to be considered. However, it is necessary to evaluate the adequacy of the available technology as well as the economic viability of the project in different scenarios before deciding on its implementation. Thus, in this work, mathematical modeling and simulations were proposed to analyze the economic scenarios of the production process of a carbonated beverage based on fermented milk whey added with hibiscus flower extract (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.). The industrial process was structured in four sections: preparation of the fermented whey, preparation of the glucose syrup, preparation of the hibiscus flower extract and preparation of the final drink. The best results were obtained for a whey processing volume of 7,000 kg per batch. The project presented an Internal Rate of Return of 49.77% and a Time of Return of Capital of 10 months. These results show the potential use of whey in the production of carbonated beverages.