Method of deflavoring whey protein using membrane electrodialysis
AssigneeKraft Foods Global Brands LLC
InventorsPeter H. Brown, Colin P. Crowley
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Abstract
Whey protein materials such as whey from cheese making processes, whey protein concentrates, and whey protein isolates, are deflavored by adjusting the pH of an aqueous composition of such whey protein materials to about 8.0 to about 12 using membrane electrodialysis to solubilize the whey proteins and to release the flavoring compounds and thereafter passing the pH-adjusted composition to an ultrafiltration membrane having a molecular weight cutoff up to about 50,000 Daltons under conditions at which the flavoring compounds pass through the membrane, leaving the retained whey protein material with improved flavor.
Claims21
A method for preparing deflavored whey protein material, said method comprising:
- (a) preparing an aqueous composition of a whey protein material containing soluble whey proteins and flavoring compounds;
- (b) adjusting the aqueous composition of (a) to a basic pH in the range of about 8.0 to about 12 with membrane elecrodialysis, thereby releasing the flavoring compounds;
- (c) passing the pH-adjusted aqueous composition of (b) adjacent to an ultrafiltration membrane having a molecular weight cutoff up to about 50,000 Daltons, while maintaining the pH in the same range as adjusted in step (b), under suitable ultrafiltration conditions wherein the flavor compounds pass through the membrane, thereby deflavoring the whey protein material and retaining substantially all of the soluble whey proteins;
- (d) adjusting the pH of the deflavored aqueous composition of (c) to neutral (pH 6.5-8.0) or acidic (below pH 6.5) pH, but above the isoelectric point, and
- (e) recovering the soluble whey proteins retained by the ultrafiltration membrane to obtain the deflavored whey protein material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.