Production and characterization of cow milk based low-protein milk protein concentrate (MPC) powders

Rheological, Physicochemical, Microbiological, and Aroma Characteristics of Sour Creams Supplemented with Milk Protein Concentrate

Milk protein concentrate (MPC) is widely used to enhance the stability and texture of fermented dairy products. However, most research has focused on yogurt products, and the effects of MPC on sour cream characteristics remain unknown. Therefore, we investigated the effects of different MPC levels (0%, 1%, 2%, and 3% w/w) on the rheological, physicochemical, microbiological, and aroma characteristics of sour creams in this study. We found that MPC supplementation stimulated the growth of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in sour creams, resulting in higher acidity than that in the control sample due to the lactic acid produced by LAB. Three aroma compounds, acetaldehyde, diacetyl, and acetoin, were detected in all sour cream samples. All sour creams showed shear-thinning behavior (n=0.41-0.50), and the addition of MPC led to an increase in the rheological parameters (η_a,50, K, G', and G″). In particular, sour cream with 3% MPC showed the best elastic property owing to the interaction between denatured whey protein and caseins. In addition, these protein interactions resulted in the formation of a gel network, which enhanced the water-holding capacity and improved the whey separation. These findings revealed that MPC can be used as a supplementary protein to improve the rheological and physicochemical characteristics of sour cream.

Insolubility in milk protein concentrates: potential causes and strategies to minimize its occurrence

Milk protein concentrates (MPCs), which are produced from skim milk following a series of manufacturing steps including pasteurization, membrane filtration, evaporation and spray drying, represent a relatively new category of dairy ingredients. MPC powders mainly comprise caseins and whey proteins in the same ratio of occurrence as in milk. While bovine MPCs have applications as an ingredient in several protein enriched food products, technofunctional concerns, e.g., reduced solubility and emulsification properties, especially after long-term storage, limit their widespread and consistent utilization in many food products. Changes in the surface and internal structure of MPC powder particles during manufacture and storage occur via casein-casein and casein-whey protein interactions and also via the formation of casein crosslinks in the presence of calcium ions which are associated with diminishment of MPCs functional properties. The aggregation of micellar caseins as a result of these interactions has been considered as the main cause of insolubility in MPCs. In addition, the occurrence of lactose-protein interactions as a result of the promotion of the Maillard reaction mainly during storage of MPC may lead to greater insolubility. This review focuses on the solubility of MPC with an emphasis on understanding the factors involved in its insolubility along with approaches which may be employed to overcome MPC insolubility. Several strategies have been developed based on manipulation of the manufacturing process, along with composition, physical, chemical and enzymatic modifications to overcome MPC insolubility. Despite many advances, dairy ingredient manufacturers are still investigating technical solutions to resolve the insolubility issues associated with the large-scale manufacture of MPC.