Effects of Decalcification on the Functionality of Milk Protein Concentrate

Abstract:

A series of milk protein concentrates （MPC） with 0%，11%，19%，27% and 37% decalcification was prepared from the ultrafiltered-diafiltered retentate of skim milk using ion exchange treatment. The effects of decalcification on the foamability，emulsifiability and gel properties including the colloidal rheological and textural properties and microstructure of MPCs were investigated. Both the foamability/foam stability and the emulsifiability/emulsion stability gradually increased with increasing decalcification rate. Based on the rheological property，texture，water holding capacity and microstructure of decalcified MPC gel，it was suggested that the gelation ability of MPC decreased with increasing decalcification；while the supplement of calcium to reach the level of MPC with native calcium content significantly recovered gelation ability and even more，the complete recovery of the gelation ability was obtained in the MPC with 11% decalcification group with calcium replenish. Therefore，it was suggested that decalcification using ion exchange treatment can be applied as a potential strategy to tailor the functionality of MPC.