Whey powder is not one interchangeable specification. Comparable records preserve whether liquid whey came from rennet-type cheese manufacture or acid coagulation; whether the traded material is standard whey powder, acid whey powder, sweet-designated whey powder, reduced-minerals or demineralized whey, reduced-lactose whey, whey protein concentrate, whey protein isolate or permeate; and the intended food, feed or further-processing use. Atlas retains composition, microbiology, heat and drying history, plant and lot, package, origin, destination, Incoterm, delivery window and evidence vintage before comparing offers.
Codex CXS 289-1995, amended through 2022, sets separate composition references for whey powder and acid whey powder. Standard whey powder has a 10.0 percent minimum milk-protein content, 5.0 percent maximum water and 9.5 percent maximum ash; acid whey powder has a 7.0 percent minimum milk-protein content, 4.5 percent maximum water and 15.0 percent maximum ash. The additional Codex designation sweet requires at least 65 percent lactose and 11 percent protein, no more than 8.5 percent ash, and pH above 6. USDA Extra Grade dry whey separately limits standard plate count, coliform, milkfat, moisture and scorched particles. These are named standard references, not results for an untested lot, proof of infant-food suitability, current supply or a live price.
Codex distinguishes whey from rennet-type coagulation of milk or milk-derived products from acid whey produced primarily by acidification. Cheese type, milk species, starter and coagulant system, acid route, separation time and liquid-whey handling can change mineral profile, acidity, heat history and functionality. Atlas records the actual source process rather than treating every pale dairy powder as the same whey.
Codex gives whey powder a 10 percent milk-protein minimum, 5 percent water maximum and 9.5 percent ash maximum. Acid whey powder has a lower 7 percent milk-protein minimum, a 4.5 percent water maximum and a higher 15 percent ash maximum. The product identity, analytical basis, method and tested lot must therefore travel with a composition claim; one category's limits are not transferred to the other.
Under CXS 289, sweet whey powder must meet additional composition conditions: at least 65 percent lactose and 11 percent protein, no more than 8.5 percent ash, and pH above 6 or the stated titratable-acidity alternative. Sweet is not a visual description or a promise about flavour. Atlas requires the declared designation and the supporting lot analysis.
Codex permits composition modification such as neutralization or demineralization only with qualified product naming. USDA's approved-plant categories separately identify dry whey, reduced-lactose whey, reduced-minerals whey, whey protein concentrate, whey permeate and whey protein isolate. Protein concentration, lactose, ash, mineral removal, process yield, functionality and units differ, so Atlas does not collapse those products into generic whey powder.
A general food-grade whey-powder standard does not by itself establish suitability for animal feed, sports nutrition, medical food or infant formula. Destination rules, allergen and milk-origin declarations, microbiological criteria, contaminant and residue controls, nutrient composition, facility approvals and intended-use specifications must be attached to the actual product and lot. Atlas does not infer an infant-food or health claim from ordinary whey evidence.
USDA Extra Grade dry whey sets ceilings of 30,000 per gram for standard plate count, 10 per gram for coliform, 1.5 percent milkfat, 5 percent moisture and 15 milligrams for scorched particles. Those limits do not prove conformance without a representative sample, method, laboratory, result, lot and date. Atlas keeps grade criteria separate from certificates and test results.
Identity and composition references do not establish current availability, lot conformity, transaction value or delivered cost. A physical comparison still needs permitted current observations for the exact product category, protein, lactose, ash, moisture, microbiology and functional requirements, source process, origin, plant and lot, packing, quantity, currency, Incoterm, destination, delivery window, freight and information vintage. Atlas withholds a physical estimate when those observations or usage rights are missing.
No. Codex defines them from different coagulation routes and assigns different protein, water, ash and acidity conditions. The source process and tested composition must be explicit.
No. Codex treats sweet as an additional composition designation with lactose, protein, ash and pH or titratable-acidity conditions. A sensory description alone is not enough.
No. Concentrate, isolate, permeate, reduced-lactose whey and reduced-minerals whey are distinct product categories with different composition, process, functionality and commercial units.
No. The grade criteria describe limits. Conformance requires representative lot evidence, including the applicable sampling, laboratory methods, results and dates.
Coagulation route and source product, standard or acid whey identity, sweet designation, demineralization or lactose reduction, protein category, food, feed or specialized use, lactose, protein, fat, water, ash, acidity or pH, microbiology, scorched particles, heat and drying history, functional tests, allergen and destination evidence, origin, plant and lot, packing, quantity, currency, Incoterm, destination, delivery window and evidence date.
Figures retain their source, period and review date. Corroboration is not promoted to primary evidence.