Effect of Changes in Sulfur Compounds on Stability and Gelation of Caseins and of Sterile Concentrated Milk

Sulphydryl and disulphide groups in casein

The method of Gaitonde (1967) was adapted for the measurement of cysteine and cystine in acid hydrolysates. Analysis of 3 different casein preparations indicated the presence of both cysteine and cystine in whole casein in the proportions of 1:1 by weight and in the molecular ratio of 2:1. If all the cysteine and cystine is associated with κ-casein then it appears that one mole of the latter contains 2 moles of cysteine and 1 mole of cystine. The sulphydryl group in whole casein appears not to be highly labile.

Colorimetric Analysis of Protein Sulfhydyl Groups in Milk: Applications and Processing Effects

Methods for protein sulfhydryl (SH) group analysis in food systems have been largely overlooked. Nevertheless, changes in SH group concentration affect both physical and nutritional characteristics of high protein foods and ingredients. Food scientists and technologists require improved understanding of protein SH chemistry in order to design processes that minimize loss of thiol groups. This article surveys colorimetric methods for food protein SH group analysis with applications to fluid milk and dried milk powder. Most colorimetric assays (chloromeribenzoate, pyridine disulfide, Nitrobenzo-2-oxa-1,3-diazole, papain reactivation assay, etc.) were found to be inferior to the Ellman method based on the use of 5,5'dithio (bis-2 nitro benzoic acid). Techniques for SH group analysis in fluid milk and dried milk powder are described, along with typical results, their interpretations, and current research related to processing effects and the role of milk SH content on a wider range of technological issues, such as development of cooked flavors, fouling and cleaning of plate heat exchanges, protein-protein interactions, and the storage stability. Finally, a number of areas requiring further research are presented.

Stable and unstable casein micelles

In milk, casein occurs as colloidal particles with an average size of about 100 nm. These are stabilized against flocculation by an outer layer of several thousands of kappa-casein molecules. Stability of micelles is characterized by the magnitude of the Smoluchowskian flocculation rate constant, which during the renneting of milk nearly approaches the diffusion-controlled limit. The processes of the clotting of milk by rennet and the phenomena of age-thinning and age-thickening of ultra-high temperature-sterilized, concentrated milks bear interesting kinetic resemblances. Both processes are characterized by a lag phase during which viscosity decreases, followed by an explosive increase in viscosity. In the milk-clotting process, the decrease can be explained by the proteolytic action of the renneting enzyme. This strongly suggests that age-thinning and age-thickening are also caused by the action of a protease that survived the sterilization process. A quantitative check of this theory is difficult because of the apparently small amount of enzyme.