Thermal Aggregation of Whey Proteins in Model Solutions as Affected by Casein/Whey Protein Ratios

Model solutions (32.5 g protein/L) prepared from milk, ultrafiltration permeate, and whey protein isolate were adjusted at pH 6.7 to casein:whey protein (C:W) ratios of 80:20, 60:40, 40:60,20:80, and 0:100. Heating was performed in test tubes at 95 °C for 5 min. Observations of the heated suspensions revealed the occurrence of heterogeneous particulates from the existing casein micelles complexed with denatured whey proteins and from aggregates essentially consisting of denatured whey proteins. The proportion of whey protein aggregates increased as C:W was changed from 80:20 to 20:80. The results from this study confirmed that heat-induced aggregates were formed not only from casein micelles but also from heat-denatured whey proteins.