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Skim Milk Acidification
1Netherlands Institute for Dairy Research (NIZO), Kernhemseweg 2, Ede, 6710 BA, The Netherlands
Journal of Colloid and Interface Science
|January 1, 1997
Summary
Acidifying skim milk causes casein micelles to attract each other, a phenomenon modeled by the adhesive hard sphere (AHS) model. Attraction strength depends on pH, relating to kappa-casein
Area of Science:
- Food science and colloid chemistry.
- Dairy science and protein interactions.
Background:
- Casein micelles provide steric stabilization in skim milk.
- Acidification reduces this stabilization, leading to attractive micelle interactions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantitatively describe attractive interactions between casein micelles during acidification.
- To test the applicability of the adhesive hard sphere (AHS) model.
Main Methods:
- Slow acidification of skim milk using glucono-delta-lactone and HCl.
- Viscosity measurements.
- Dynamic light scattering measurements.
Main Results:
- Attractive interactions between casein micelles increase as pH decreases.
- The adhesive hard sphere (AHS) model quantitatively describes these interactions.
- Attraction strength is proportional to 1/(pH - pC), where pC relates to kappa-casein's dissociation.
Conclusions:
- The AHS model effectively describes casein micelle interactions during acidification.
- Kappa-casein plays a crucial role in micelle stabilization and interaction.
- Understanding these interactions is key for dairy processing and product stability.