Proteins for foods, in addition to providing nutrition, should also possess specific functional properties that facilitate processing and serve as the basis of product performance. Functional properties of proteins for foods connote the physicochemical properties which govern the behavior of protein in foods. This general article collates the published information concerning the major functional properties of food proteins, e.g., solubility, binding properties, surfactant properties, viscogenic texturizing characteristics, etc. The effects of extraction and processing on functional properties and possible correlations between structure and function are discussed, in relation to practical performance in food systems. Modification of proteins to improve functional characteristics is briefly mentioned.

Functional properties of proteins in foods: A survey

Nomenclature of Proteins of Cow's Milk: Fifth Revision

Milk protein is consumed widely as a human food, particularly in developed countries. The long history of its inclusion in the human diet and the relative ease with which the major proteins can be purified from raw milk have contributed to its early and extensive characterization by biochemists. Consequently, milk proteins are probably the best characterized of all food proteins; for example, the primary structures of all bovine milk proteins are known and even the three-dimensional structures of the major whey proteins are known. Nevertheless, the molecular characteristics, particularly the tertiary structure, of the caseins remain as a challenge since these proteins are not typical and apparently cannot be crystallized. In the past, the caseins have, at times, been inaccurately classified as denatured or random coil proteins. Although the caseins are apparently more flexible and less stable than typical globular or rod-shaped proteins, they appear to have some secondary structure and a definite unordered tertiary structure.

Chemistry of the caseins.

Nomemclature of the proteins of cow's milk: fourth revision.

The proteins of milk are of great importance in human nutrition and influence the behavior and properties of the dairy products containing them. They have been studied more extensively than any other proteins except possibly those of blood. Since milk contains a number of different proteins, they must be fractionated and the proteins of interest isolated before definitive work can be done on their composition, structure, and chemical and physical properties.

M.T.A. Evans

Papers

Physicochemical properties of β-casein and some carboxyacyl derivatives

Physicochemical properties of some acyl derivatives of β-casein

The effect of succinylation and acylation on the physicochemical properties of αs1-casein B