ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the structures and main functional properties of the major whey proteins in order to try to establish relationships between protein structure and functionality. It discusses the effects of technological treatments on protein structure and their effects on functional properties and the behavior of whey protein ingredients in food products. Whey protein is a mixture of proteins with numerous and diverse functional properties and therefore may have many potential uses. The main proteins are β-lactoglobulin and a-lactalbumin. They represent approximately 70% of the total whey proteins and are responsible for the hydration, gelling, and surface-active properties of the whey protein ingredients. The structural properties of whey proteins depend on several environmental factors and also on technological treatments applied to milk. Thus, the impact of processing-induced structure modification on the functional properties should also be taken into account. In contrast, whey proteins adsorb and spread very slowly at the interface and create smaller foam particles.
