IPC Main Group
A23C 21/00 Whey; Whey preparations
Introduced: September 1968
Last revised: January 2025
Classification Context
- Section:
- HUMAN NECESSITIES
- Class:
- FOODS, FOODSTUFFS OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES; PREPARATION, TREATMENT OR PRESERVATION THEREOF
- Subclass:
- DAIRY PRODUCTS, e.g. MILK, BUTTER OR CHEESE; MILK OR CHEESE SUBSTITUTES; PREPARATION THEREOF
Filing statistics
IPC A23C 21/00 belongs to the parent subclass A23C, which recorded 43,005 patent applications worldwide between 2013 and 2023. Annual filings declined from 3,191 in 2013 to 3,156 in 2023 (-1%), peaking at 4,515 applications in 2020. The most active applicants in class A23 are KVASENKOV OLEG IVANOVICH (6,158 applications), NESTLE (4,562 applications) and NESTEC (3,354 applications).
Source: EPO PATSTAT, worldwide filings
Related Keywords
WHEY
5 direct subcodes
Child Classifications
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- A23C 21/02 containing, or treated with, microorganisms or enzymes
- A23C 21/04 containing non-milk components as source of fats or proteins
- A23C 21/06 Mixtures of whey with milk products or milk components
- A23C 21/08 containing other organic additives, e.g. vegetable or animal products
- A23C 21/1 containing inorganic additives
Top Applicants
Top 10 applicants by patent filingsfor class A23, 2013–2023, worldwide · Source: EPO PATSTAT
- KVASENKOV OLEG IVANOVICH RU 6,158
- NESTLE CH 4,562
- NESTEC CH 3,354
- JIANGNAN UNIVERSITY 2,699
- DSM IP ASSETS (DUTCH STATE MINES IP ASSETS) NL 2,320
- SUNTORY HOLDINGS JP 1,926
- CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 1,804
- CJ CHEILJEDANG CORPORATION KR 1,653
- CARGILL US 1,588
- REPUBLIC OF KOREA (RURAL DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION) KR 1,314