Whey proteins food formulations

Whey may be substituted for starch by as much as 25% in extruded corn snacks, but the product does not puff as much as com alone, as the water-holding whey protein does not react with the starch matrix (Onwulata et al., 1998). WPCs or isolates can be added along with starch to create expanded snack foods with boosted nutritional content however, without texturization, whey proteins in amounts larger than 15% may interfere with expansion, making the products less crunchy. To counter this effect, whey proteins can be texturized with starch to improve their interaction with other food components in a formulation, principally to increase extmdate expansion. In one successful application, between 25% and 35% of the flour was replaced with whey protein (Onwulata et al., 2001a,b). 

Milk protein products. As indicated in Table 1, the food industry is placing major emphasis on the production and utilization of milk protein products in a wide variety of formulated food products (20,21,22). Although nonfat dry milk (NFDM) and whey powder are major milk protein ingredients in formulated foods, casein and whey protein concentrates, which contain their proteins in a more highly concentrated and functional form, are essential for certain food product applications, such as those products that require the proteins as an emulsifier agent. Additional details on the processing methods and conditions used to produce the various milk protein products are available (23). 

Although whey protein concentrates possess excellent nutritional and organoleptic properties, they often exhibit only partial solubility and do not function as well as the caseinates for stabilizing aqueous foams and emulsions (19). A number of compositional and processing factors are involved which alter the ability of whey protein concentrates to function in such food formulations. These include pH, redox potential, Ca concentration, heat denaturation, enzymatic modification, residual polyphosphate or other polyvalent ion precipitating agents, residual milk lipids/phospholipids and chemical emulsifiers (22). 

Egg replacers. Lecithins are used in conjunction with dairy and vegetable proteins in an attempt to functionally mimic the lipoprotein complex of egg yolks. A coagulable egg replacer based on whey protein, polyunsaturated fat, and lecithin has been described (31). Another formulation included soy and wheat flour blended with oil, lecithin, carrageenan, and polysorbate 60 to replace up to 75% dry or liquid eggs in a variety of mixes and prepared foods (31). Dashiell (31) also reported on a lipoprotein complex formed from soy isolate, oil, carbohydrate, and various emulsifiers, which is claimed to be useful for whole or partial replacement of egg yolks in baked goods. 

Because of very high biological value and absence of antinutritional factors, except for some allergenic activity, milk proteins have found various application in formulated foods and as meat extenders. Initially only the caseins were used, but recently the recovery of whey proteins and their fractions was made economically feasible. 

With a typical size ranging from nanometric (<100 nm) to submicrometric (<1 pm), biopolymeric particles and nanoparticles, made of proteins or polysaccharides, thanks to their excellent compatibility with foods, are able to efficiently encapsulate, protect and deliver bioactive compounds, forming different structures, such as random coils, sheets, or rods around the bioactive molecules. The most suitable biopolymers for the incorporation into foods include (1) proteins, such as whey proteins, casein, gelatin, soy protein, zein, and (2) polysaccharides, such as starch, cellulose, and other hydrocolloids, with the particle formulation depending on the desired particle functionality (size, morphology, charge, permeability, environmental stability), on end product compatibility and in general in product behavior, as well as on release properties and in body behavior. 

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