Whey valorization for maternal and infant health based on bibliometric analysis and systematic review evidence

Background Whey is a byproduct of dairy processing, once regarded as waste but now recognized for the potential value in maternal–infant health interventions. Therefore, this review aims to examine whey research landscape to provide insights on the direction of product development, circular-economy implementation, biorefinery innovation, and sustainable nutrition policies for maternal and infant health. Methods A bibliometric analysis was conducted using the Scopus database (single snapshot up to 29 October 2025; TITLE-ABS-KEY; no limits on year, language, or document type), retrieving 525 publications. Records were de-duplicated and synonym-normalized, then analyzed at two layers, namely (i) performance/productivity indicators, including annual documents, country output, and annual citations using Tableau 2025.2.4 and VOSviewer v1.6.19, (ii) science mapping for author-keyword co-occurrence, temporal overlays, and clustering, using VOSviewer. Subsequently, a complementary systematic review, guided by PRISMA 2020, synthesized themes along the value chain from whey components to applications/products, and finally to maternal/infant outcomes. Results The results showed that temporal overlay analysis demonstrated a shift from upstream waste–energy themes, namely circular economy, anaerobic digestion, and biogas around 2018 to 2020, toward food bioprocessing and microbiota modulation, including fermentation, lactic acid bacteria, and lactose/whey permeate around 2020–2022. More recent research from 2022 to 2024 focused on health-relevant functional components, including whey proteins/peptides, antioxidant activity often associated with polyphenols, and β-galactosidase pathway producing GOS/lactobionic acid. The application clusters converged on three output pathways, namely (i) high-quality protein intake and maternal recovery, (ii) modulation of the microbiota and infant digestive tolerance (including pre/pro/synbiotic approaches), and (iii) indications of decreased oxidative stress/inflammation. Highly cited articles reflect the transition from waste management to integrated biorefineries and increasing clinical orientation. Conclusions The results reinforce the waste-to-value narrative, in which whey is no longer only a waste, but a strategic nutritional platform with increasing clinical relevance in the literature for maternal and infant health. Future research should prioritize standardized clinical trials, identification of mechanistic biomarkers, and evaluation of upstream-downstream sustainability, including life-cycle assessment and emissions impacts, to ensure safe, effective, and environmentally friendly access.