The effect of the melting of the collagen-like gelatin aggregates on the stability against aggregation of the bovine casein micelles

The effect of the melting of the collagen-like acid and alkaline gelatin aggregates on the stability against aggregation of bovine casein micelles was investigated by turbidimetry, DSC and circular dichroism in the wide range of biopolymers concentrations, gelatin/casein ratio (R) in initial mixture (R=0.03–20), pH (4.9–6.7), ionic strength (I=10⁻³ to 1.0/NaCl/), and temperature (10°–70 °C), using glucono-δ-lactone (GL) as acidifier. At low ionic strength (10⁻³/milk salts/) and neutral pH interaction between gelatin molecules and casein micelles is suppressed significantly above 36 °C. The melting of the collagen-like acidic gelatin above this temperature shifts the pH at which the complex formation is maximal to the acidic range. The cause may be that some of the functional ionized groups of gelatin molecules are inaccessible due to the conformational changes. The presence of gelatin B molecules had no effect on the aggregation stability of micellar casein in the range 0.03<R<20. At very high total protein concentration (above 10%) depletion flocculation of casein micelles was observed. The reason for the very high stability of casein micelles in this case cannot be explained by volume exclusion. Received: 28 March 2000 Accepted: 5 October 2000