From Trash to Treasure: Testing Alternatives to Whey Protein Amidst Shortage

Amongst consumers, protein is currently all the rage. In fact, it is in such high demand that the supply can no longer keep up. Supplementary protein is being added to all kinds of consumer goods, like coffee, chips, cereal, sports drinks, and more. Most of these protein boosts are made possible thanks to a by-product of cheese-making known as whey. Since it cannot be produced on its own, cheese and dairy product manufacturers are unable to keep up with the growing demand for what was once considered disposable.

Growing Concern Over 2026 Whey Protein Shortage

While retailers have yet to see stock shortages of whey protein products, shoppers should expect prices to begin to trend upward. According to the LA Times, some suppliers are already sold out of their whey for the remainder of 2026, and wholesale costs have escalated by an average of 40%. This cost is sure to be reflected onto consumers soon. For companies that can no longer afford whey protein due to the astronomical price hike, they are forced to either stop production or find an alternative.

Evaluating Whey Protein Alternatives for Food Reformulation

Whey is a complete protein that is naturally found in milk. It contains essential amino acids that support skeletal muscle protein synthesis and accumulation of lean body mass. It is one of the fastest-acting protein sources due to its readily digestible nature and is added to food or beverages easily in its powdered state. All of these elements combined make whey protein one of the most popular sports supplements in the world.

There are several alternatives to whey protein that can help keep protein-supplemented products on the shelves, such as plant-based protein or milk protein concentrate. However, since these proteins are formulated differently, change is not often one-to-one. Producers will have to reformulate their products to give customers the closest taste, mouthfeel, and protein content as before—not an easy or quick process.

Ensuring Accurate Protein Content

An important part of reformulation is ensuring that new products will still meet the protein demands of consumers. Testing for protein content can be time-consuming and messy —unless you automate it.

With LECO’s FP828 and FP928 protein analysis instruments, determining protein content is a swift and easy task. Users get results within 5 minutes with macro sample sizes. Up to 100 samples can be loaded at a time with an autoloader, making these instruments impeccable tools for high-throughput labs that need to reformulate quickly.

You can see how both of these instruments provided rapid and accurate data when analyzing whey protein by reading the following application notes:

• Determination of Nitrogen/Protein in Whey and Powdered Dairy Products using the FP928
• Nitrogen and Protein in Whey and Powdered Dairy Products with the FP828

Beyond reformulation, this shortage of whey protein highlights an important turning point for the food industry. Consumers aren’t going to stop demanding protein-boosted snacks; they will instead buy from the brands that successfully pivot first. High-throughput labs that can quickly validate new plant-based or blended formulations will be the ones that keep products on shelves and maintain consumer loyalty. Is your lab equipped to lead the transition?

Upgrade Your Protein Testing Capabilities

• Explore all the advantages of having a LECO FP828 or FP928 Macro Determinator in your protein lab by visiting the FP828 instrument page or FP928 instrument overview.
• You can also find helpful resources—like application notes and webinars—in our Protein Analysis Resource Hub.
• If you have a specific question about our protein analysis instruments, feel free to contact an expert today.