Emulsifying properties of the total fraction and the hydrophobic fraction of bovine milk proteose-peptones

Since proteose-peptone is a mixture of heterogeneous proteins and peptides, its functional properties have not yet been fully understood. The present study was undertaken to elucidate the emulsifying properties of proteose-peptones and a parallel evaluation was performed of the emulsifying activity of the total fraction prepared from bulk skimmed milk by precipitation with ammonium sulphate and of the most hydrophobic fraction purified by hydrophobic interaction fast protein liquid chromatography. A turbidimetric technique was used and the absorbance value at 500 nm was then directly used as the emulsifying activity index. The results obtained confirmed the good emulsifying activity of this protein fraction of the whey and demonstrated the considerable influence of the concentration on the capacity of the proteose-peptones to stabilize a model oil-in-water emulsion. Moreover, at all the concentrations examined, the purified component 3 showed a higher emulsifying activity than the total unpurified fraction.