Abstract:

Whey proteins are one of the main groups of the milk proteins obtained mainly from the cheese manufacture and used for various applications in food industry due to high nutritional value and valuable functional properties. β-lactoglobulin and α-lactalbumin are globular proteins and formed the great part of proteins present in the whey. Considering whey proteins in food industry can reduce environmental pollution and lead to processing functional foods with high nutritional value. In addition to using as the common protein source for supplementation in food industry, whey proteins are used in sports and medical formulations.  They are used for manufacturing of new products for physically active people and sportsmen based on their nutritional and functional properties. In this context, protein digestibility, amino acid composition, bioavailability of essential amino acids and physiological utilization of specific amino acids after digestion and absorption are the parameters that influence the nutritional quality of whey protein supplements. Whey proteins can be recovered from the milk in various forms consisting of whey protein concentrate, whey protein isolate and whey protein hydrolysate for different commercial proposes using the methods such as thermal evaporation or filtration. Whey protein concentrate is mainly used in food industry or as a health or sport supplement, while whey protein hydrolysate used for pediatric formulas. In this review, various functions of different forms of whey proteins in food industry and health section have been considered.

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