Whey powders are grouped into the main categories of sweet and acid powders and the secondary categories of partly desugared whey powder and permeate powder – both of which are by-products of whey derivatives.

The composition of whey powders and derivatives
	Lactose* %	Protein %	Fat %	Ash %		Water %
Sweet whey powder	≥ 70	≥ 12	≤ 1,5	≤ 8,5		≤ 3,5
Acid whey powder	≥ 65	9 ± 1	°	11 ± 1		≤ 3,5
Lactose edible	≥ 99	≤ 0,5		≤ 0,3		≤ 5,5
Lactose pharmaceutical	≥ 99,6			≤ 0,1		≤ 5,5
Whey-protein concentrate, low %	46 ± 2	35 ± 2	3 ± 1	≤ 8		≤ 5
Whey-protein concentrate, high %	5 ± 2	78 ± 2	6 ± 2	≤ 3,5		≤ 5,5
Demineralised whey powder, 50%	78 - 82	≥ 11	≤ 1,5	≤ 4		≤ 3
Demineralised whey powder, 90%	80 - 84	≥ 11	≤ 1,5	≤ 1,5		≤ 3
Lactic minerals	≤ 28	≤ 6	≤ 1	≥ 69		≤ 6
* as a monohydrate

Lactose is produced in three different levels of quality: edible, refined and pharmaceutical. The edible product is also referred to as yellow lactose, while refined and pharmaceutical-quality lactose is white as snow. In terms of their anatomy, these three types of lactose each contain different residual concentrations of protein and minerals.

The three types of whey protein concentrates each have a different degree of concentration, ranging between 30 and 85 percent. Even products with the same concentration of protein can, however, still have very different properties, since manufacturers have developed individual qualities for specific applications.

The quality of a demineralised whey powder is predominantly marked by the degree of demineralisation (ranging from 50 to 90 percent) which it has undergone, beyond which, however, the concentration of protein is also an important factor in determining how the product will ultimately be used.