During the last decade, marked progress has been made in the study of the fine details of the structures of milk proteins such as caseins, beta-lactoglobulin, alpha-lactalbumin, and lactotransferrin. Many of the functional properties of the individual milk proteins, as well as the milk protein products, may be described at the molecular level. This article is an attempt to thoroughly review the three-dimensional structures of major milk proteins, and to correlate them with the functional aspects of these proteins as food ingredients.

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Transparent, flexible films could be made by casting aqueous solutions of alginic acid, but they dissolved in water. When films were made from a solution of alginic acid and multivalent ions, they were still water soluble. However, when alginic acid films were immersed in a solution of salts with multivalent ions, they dissolved in water much more slowly, if at all. Treatment with calcium and zinc resulted in films insoluble in water and their tensile strength increased by an order of magnitude. Iron and magnesium ions had little effect on properties of the films. Copper and aluminum showed intermediate effect, but treatment with cupric ion resulted in a fast crosslinking of the surface without affecting the inside of the film. This resulted in the formation of a tube when opposing surfaces were pulled apart.

Primordial proteins regulate the response of nanobacteria to variations in their environment and reinforce existing pathogenic potentials. By analyzing specific response patterns, we predicted the prevalence of nanobacteria in HIV--and in the atmosphere. A current clinical study indicates the identification of a possibly giant nanobacterial reservoir in Africa: a significant fraction of a test group (40 HIV-infected mothers and 13 babies) was infected with nanobacteria. Concurrently, a multitude of 80-300 nm nanovesicles, apparently nanobacteria, were detected in the atmosphere of the Earth. Nanobacterial infections in HIV are possibly comparable to the twin epidemics HIV and tuberculosis. Models inspired by proteomics recommend methods to inactivate nanobacteria (and other slime-producing bacteria) in the body.