Whey filtration: a review of products, application, and pretreatment with transglutaminase enzyme

Abstract

AbstractBackgroundIn the cheese industry, whey, rich in lactose and proteins, is underutilized, causing adverse environmental impacts. The fractionation of its components, typically carried out through filtration membranes, faces operational challenges such as membrane fouling, significant protein loss during the process, and extended operating times, which require attention and specific approaches for optimization and efficiency. A promising strategy to enhance industry efficiency and sustainability is enzymatic pre‐treatment with the enzyme transglutaminase (TGase). This enzyme plays a crucial role in protein modification, catalyzing covalent cross‐links between lysine and glutamine residues, increasing the molecular weight of proteins, facilitating their retention on membranes, and contributing to the improvement of the quality of the final products.Scope and approachThe aim of this study is to review the application of the enzyme TGase as a pretreatment in whey protein filtration. The scope involves assessing the enzyme's impact on whey protein properties and its relationship with process performance. Additionally, it aims to identify both the optimization of operational parameters and the enhancement of product characteristics.Key findings and conclusionsThe results of this study demonstrate that the application of TGase leads to improved performance in protein concentration, lactose permeation, and permeate flux rate during the filtration process. Furthermore, it has the capacity to enhance protein solubility, viscosity, thermal stability, and protein gelation in whey. In this context, it is relevant for enhancing the characteristics of whey, thereby contributing to the production of higher‐quality final products in the food industry.This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.