The thick and creamy texture of Greek yogurt can be made in one of two ways. Producers can add thickeners, such as powdered protein or starch, or through the traditional method of straining the liquid out. While consumers prefer their yogurt to use the traditional straining process, yogurt makers are stuck with gallons of leftover whey. So far, nobody's figured out a way to make money off it and some yogurt makers actually pay to have it trucked away.

The state of New York, which is anxious to keep this yogurt boom going, has asked researchers at Cornell University to look for a better alternative. That alternative might be building more digesters to turn whey into biogas. It might involve new methods for capturing valuable sugars and proteins from the whey.

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Photo by Dan Charles/NPR