β-Lactoglobulin A, a genetic variant of one of the main whey proteins, was irradiated at 295 nm for 24 h. After irradiation, 18% of the protein was denatured (determined by reverse-phase chromatography). The fluorescence spectrum of the irradiated protein was red-shifted compared to that of the native protein, indicating a change in protein folding. Sulfhydryl groups, which are buried in native β-lactoglobulin, were exposed following irradiation and became available for quantification using the Ellman assay. The quantity of exposed sulfhydryls increased, but the number of total sulfhydryl groups decreased. Gel permeation chromatography showed that some protein aggregation occurred during irradiation. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy of irradiated β-lactoglobulin revealed changes in the secondary structure, comparable to that of early events during heat-induced denaturation. There was evidence for some photo-oxidation of tryptophan.

Maillard reaction products (MRPs) were prepared from aqueous model mixtures containing 3% (w/w) ribose and 3% (w/w) of the dairy proteins α-lactalbumin (α-LA) or β-lactoglobulin (β-LG), heated at 95 °C, for up to 5 h. The pH of MRPs decreased significantly during heat treatment of α-LA-Ribose and β-LG-Ribose mixtures from 8.4 to 5.3. The amino group content in MRPs, derived from the α-LA-Ribose and β-LG-Ribose model system, was decreased noticeably during the first hour and did not change thereafter. The loss of free ribose in MRPs was higher for β-LG-Ribose than for α-LA-Ribose. During the Maillard reaction, the concentration of native and non-native α-LA, or β-LG, decreased and the formation of aggregates was observed. Fluorescence intensity of the β-LG-Ribose MRPs reached maximum within 1 h, compared to 2 h for α-LA-Ribose MRPs. Meanwhile, modification of the UV/vis absorption spectra for α-LA and β-LG was mainly due to a condensation reaction with ribose. Dynamic light scattering showed a significant increase in the particle size of the MRPs. Size exclusion chromatography of MRPs revealed the production of both high and low molecular weight material. Electrophoresis of MRPs indicated polymerization of α-LA and β-LG monomers via inter-molecular disulfide bridge, but also via other covelant bonds. MRPs from α-LA-Ribose and β-LG-Ribose exhibited increased antioxidant activities, therefore theses MRPs may be used as natural antioxidants in food products.

This paper takes a new approach to determining which sulfhydryl groups are exposed during the heat denaturation of bovine β-lactoglobulin A. The sulfhydryl groups exposed after heating were blocked with 5-((((2-iodoacetyl)amino)ethyl)amino)naphthalene-1-sulfonic acid (IAEDANS). The results show that IAEDANS is a suitable blocking agent, and its absorbance at 336 nm enabled the quantification of exposed sulfhydryl groups in a mixture of protein species by gel permeation chromatography. Combined with the specific fragmentation of bound IAEDANS by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) MS/MS in negative ionization mode, this facilitated the identification of peptides that contained blocked cysteines after enzymatic digestion of the protein. During MALDI MS/MS of the peptides, in positive ionization mode, the IAEDANS molecule remained bound to the cysteines, making it possible to identify exactly which cysteine had been exposed after heating. In β-lactoglobulin A it was found that cysteine 66 and cysteine 160 were predominantly exposed regardless of the length of exposure to heat.

Protein type and/or heat treatment pre- or post-homogenisation can affect the physical stability of infant formulations during manufacture. Previous research has described the use of α-lactalbumin addition in infant formulae, but has not demonstrated the effect of heating pre- or post-emulsion formulation during processing. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of both of these parameters. Three batches of model 1st-stage infant formula containing differing whey protein ratios (60:40 whey: casein with α-lactalbumin content 12, 30 or 48% of total protein) were prepared. Each batch was split; one half receiving heat treatment pre-homogenisation and the second half homogenised and then heat treated. Emulsion stability was determined by size exclusion chromatography, SDS-PAGE, particle size and viscosity measurements. There was a significant (P < 0.05) reduction in the formation of large soluble aggregates upon increasing α-lac concentration in emulsions heat treated either before or after homogenisation. Heat treatment of formulations post-homogenisation resulted in a higher (P < 0.05) D.v09 within the particle size distribution; increasing α-lactalbumin concentration to 30 or 48% significantly (P < 0.05) reduced the D.v09 within the particle size distribution in these emulsions. The viscosity of concentrates (55 % total solids) containing the 12% α-lactalbumin, heat treated post-homogenisation, was significantly greater (P < 0.05) than the equivalent emulsion heat treated pre-homogenisation; increasing the α-lactalbumin concentration to 30 or 48% significantly (P < 0.05) reduced viscosity. When the α-lactalbumin content was increased to 48% as a percentage of the total protein, heating before or after emulsion formation had no effect on concentrate viscosity. The findings demonstrate the importance of thermal denaturation/aggregation of whey proteins (and in particular, the ratio of α-lactalbumin to β-lactoglobulin) prior to homogenisation of infant formula emulsions.