Coupling high hydrostatic pressure and ultrafiltration for fractionation of alpha-lactalbumin from skim milk

ABSTRACT

The separation of α-lactalbumin (α-LAC) and β-lactoglobulin (β-LG) by ultrafiltration (UF) is a technological challenge due to their similar molecular size. As high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) treatment generates β-LG complexes of a larger molecular size than native β-LG, it was suggested that pressurization of skim milk could improve the separation of α-LAC by UF. The strategy was effective, but the pressurization affected UF performance, α-LAC recovery and purity. Hence, the combination of HHP and UF might not be the most efficient strategy for producing an enriched α-LAC fraction, but this study generated significant scientific knowledge about HHP in separation technology.

KEYWORDS:

• High hydrostatic pressure
• skim milk
• ultrafiltration
• alpha-lactalbumin
• beta-lactoglobulin

Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge Davisco Foods International Inc (Eden Prairie, MN) for providing whey protein powders, as well as Barb Conway for editing this manuscript.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed publisher’s website.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) under a discovery grant [grant number CG109523, 2015].