Effects of Pulsed Electric Field Technology on Whey Protein Concentrate

Area of Science:

• Food Science and Technology
• Biophysics
• Protein Chemistry

Background:

• Whey protein concentrate (WPC-80) is a valuable dairy ingredient.
• Optimizing WPC-80 properties can enhance its applications.
• Pulsed electric field (PEF) processing is a non-thermal technology with potential for food modification.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of pulsed electric field (PEF) treatment on the physical and functional properties of 10% (m/v) whey protein concentrate (WPC-80).
• To assess changes in viscosity, particle size, solubility, emulsification, and protein structure integrity after PEF treatment.
• To evaluate the scalability and commercial viability of using a continuous flow PEF system for WPC-80 processing.

Main Methods:

• Reconstituting WPC-80 to 10% (m/v) and treating it with PEF under three different conditions.
• Measuring apparent viscosity and particle size of the PEF-treated whey solution.
• Resolubilizing dried whey and assessing protein structure integrity using circular dichroism (CD), fluorescence, and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC).
• Evaluating functional properties including solubility, foamability, and emulsification.

Main Results:

• PEF treatment reduced apparent viscosity and particle size.
• Solubility and emulsification stability were significantly increased by PEF treatment.
• Foamability and molecular weight profiles remained unchanged.
• No significant alterations in protein structure were detected via CD, fluorescence, or DSC.

Conclusions:

• PEF processing of WPC-80 at 10% (m/v) using a scalable, continuous flow system favorably modified physical and functional properties.
• The observed improvements in solubility and emulsification stability suggest enhanced applicability of WPC-80 in various food systems.
• PEF offers a promising non-thermal method for WPC-80 modification without compromising protein integrity.