Production of whey protein hydrolyzates and its incorporation into milk

Abstract

Abstract Whey proteins provide an excellent source of low-molecular-weight bioactive peptides with important functional properties and bioactivities like antihypertensive, opioid, and antimicrobial effects. Presence of peptide molecules with lower molecular weight has a great role in food for health promotion. In this investigation, the release of low-molecular-weight peptides from whey protein concentrate was attempted by using enzymatic digestion. The hydrolyzate was then incorporated into milk to obtain enriched milk (EM) with low-molecular-weight peptides. Based on sensory analysis of EM, electrophoretic and RP-HPLC studies, hydrolyzates of 10% protein (degree of hydrolysis 5%; enzyme/ substrate E/S, 1:50) were finally incorporated into milk at 20% (v/v) to develop an acceptable product enriched with low-molecular-weight peptides. EM had higher protein content, viscosity and emulsifying properties than control milk with 3% fat. It is recommended that EM should not be sterilized as it results in coagulation, but can be safely pasteurized and spray dried without any undesirable effects. Maximum ACE-inhibition activity was obtained in hydrolyzate, followed by EM. This study is expected to boost the opportunity for the dairy industry to venture further into the nutraceutical dairy market. Graphical abstract