Micellar whey protein, solution thereof, powder thereof, and foods utilizing same

A micellar whey protein solution comprising a micellar whey protein dissolved in water, said micellar whey protein comprising the following properties:

• (1) being obtained by heat treatment of whey protein solution, wherein the whey protein is thermally undenatured, the pH of the solution is in the range of 6 to 10, and the ash content of the solution is not greater than 0.5% by weight, having undergone limited hydrolysis by a proteolytic enzyme;
• (2) having molecules in the form of a plurality of micelles of irregular shape with a molecular weight of not less than 1,000,000 and a molecular size of 30 to 500 nm;
• (3) being soluble in water and forming a milk-white solution;
• and
• (4) said micelles are associated together in a solution having a pH in the acid range of 3 to 6 to form insoluble aggregates.

A micellar whey protein product comprising the following properties:

• (1) being obtained by heat treatment of whey protein solution, wherein the whey protein is thermally undenatured, the pH of the solution is in the range of 6 to 10, and the ash content of the solution is not greater than 0.5% by weight, having undergone limited hydrolysis by a proteolytic enzyme to such an extent that the degree of proteolysis is in the range of 0.01 to 50%;
• (2) having molecules in the form of a plurality of micelles of irregular shape with a molecular weight of not less than 1,000,000 and a molecular size of 30 to 500 nm;
• (3) being soluble in water and forming a milk-white solution;
• and
• (4) said micelles are associated together in a solution having a pH in the acid range of 3 to 6 to form insoluble aggregates.