Trends in whey protein fractionation.

Area of Science:

• Food Science and Technology
• Biochemistry
• Chemical Engineering

Background:

• Whey is a dairy industry byproduct often discarded.
• It contains nutritionally and biologically valuable proteins.
• Efficient extraction of these proteins is crucial for valorization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review and evaluate whey fractionation techniques.
• To assess the performance of methods regarding protein yield and purity.
• To highlight novel techniques like ATPS and magnetic fishing.

Main Methods:

• Review of chromatographic techniques (ion-exchange, hydrophobic adsorption).
• Review of membrane separation techniques (pressure-driven, electro-separation).
• Evaluation of emerging methods: aqueous two-phase separation (ATPS) and magnetic fishing.

Main Results:

• Traditional and advanced methods offer varying degrees of protein yield and purity.
• ATPS and magnetic fishing show promise for efficient whey protein fractionation.
• Performance metrics (yield, purity) differ significantly across techniques.

Conclusions:

• Whey fractionation is key to unlocking the potential of whey proteins.
• Novel techniques like ATPS and magnetic fishing offer improved efficiency.
• Further research is needed to optimize these methods for industrial application.