Effect of minor milk proteins in chymosin separated whey and casein fractions on cheese yield as determined by proteomics and multivariate data analysis

The objective of this work was to find regressions between minor milk proteins or protein fragments in the casein or sweet whey fraction and cheese yield because the effect of major milk proteins was evaluated in a previous study. Proteomic methods involving 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry in combination with multivariate data analysis were used to study the effect of variations in milk protein composition in chymosin separated whey and casein fractions on cheese yield. By mass spectrometry, a range of proteins significant for the cheese yield was identified. Among others, a C-terminal fragment of β-casein had a positive effect on the cheese yield expressed as grams of cheese per 100 g of milk, whereas several other minor fragments of β-, α_s1-, and α_s2-casein had positive effects on the transfer of protein from milk to cheese. However, the individual effect of each identified protein was relatively low. Therefore, further studies of the relations between different proteins/peptides in the rennet casein or sweet whey fractions and cheese yield are needed for advanced understanding and prediction of cheese yield.