Cheese production, which represents an important sector of the world economy, is affected by the generation of a liquid residue, whey. This situation represents an environmental problem when it is discharged into water and land, due to whey’s high chemical and biochemical oxygen demand. Although many studies have been carried out on its use, given the quantity that is produced, it is necessary to continue research in this regard. Given the nutritional characteristics of whey, its importance as a raw material for fermentative processes has been demonstrated. In recent years, microbial culture technology, along with metabolic and genetic engineering, have shown their potential to increase the production of metabolites of interest, one of them being L-valine. Production has been geared towards microbial production, indicating economic and ecological benefits over competing technologies. The microorganisms are mainly recombinant, with E. coli being the most widely used. In this review, a recent interest in increasing the productivity of L-valine is demonstrated, justified by its high demand in feed and food, as well as in drugs, antibiotics and chemical products such as green fuels.