Understanding critical processing parameters to design novel improved Functional mILk protein concenTRATEs

Milk concentrates, obtained by membrane filtration, are used as value added ingredients in dairy products. As we concentrate milk, casein proteins, present in milk as colloidal aggregates called casein micelles, get closer and closer to one another, and eventually start reorganize their assembled structure. This will cause changes in the reactivity (functionality) of the proteins present in the concentrate. Very little is known of the molecular structures forming during the concentration process. In this project we aim to 1) understand these changes; 2) discover which are the most critical processing conditions; 3) find ways to exploit them in some industrial applications.