Dairy discusses enzymatic modification
components at an upcoming event in Poland.
Organised by the University of Warmia and Mazury dairy excellence centre in Olsztyn, Poland, the training course aims to investigate enzymatic modifications of milk proteins, lipids and lactose.
Dairy firms and academia continue to investigate the impact of enzymatic modification of (milk) proteins and other components on their functionality.
Milk proteins, for example, can be modified by means of enzymatic methods which can change, and sometimes improve, specific functional characteristics and tailored product.
Scientists have found that the ability of b-lactoglobulin to form a gel on heating can be drastically improved by limited proteolysis with an enzyme that is specific for acidic amino acids.
The cross-linking of a protein by, for example, transglutaminase is another method of modifying functional properties. Further, when milk is treated with this enzyme before pH is lowered researchers, at the department of food science at the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University in Denmark, found that the modulus of the resulting acid casein gel may be improved as much as six to eight times.
"Limited hydrolysis may improve the foam formation, the heat stability, the stability at low pH and emulsifying characteristics of whey proteins," they add.
Organisers of the summer school in Poland (4 to 16 July) said the event will be divided into lectures, laboratory work and study tours, and all theoretical and practical activities will focus on enzymatic modifications of milk proteins, lipids and lactose.
