Langmuir film balance study of the surface properties of a soluble fraction of milk fat-globule membrane

Viewed from its origin, composition, and physicochemical properties, milk fat-globule membrane (MPGM) appears to act as a good, natural emulsifier and should be also considered as a potential stabilizing agent in the preparation of certain foods, e.g. creams and emulsions, infant formulas, and reduced-fat products. The present work was undertaken in an attempt to gain further information on the physicochemical properties of MFGM. In particular, the purpose of this study was to determine surface properties of a soluble fraction of MFGM (SFMFGM) using a film balance and to investigate the changes in the surface activity at different temperatures, which may occur during milk cream ripening or during heat and mechanical treatments of dairy products. The results showed that film balance measurements at the air/water interface actually provided a useful method for the study of SFMFGM monolayers. It was deduced from the compression isotherms that the SFMFGM films spread at the air/water interface presented a different behavior when the temperature varied from 4 to 40 °C.