Affecting Casein Micelles by Pulsed Electrical Field (PEF) for Inclusion of Lipophilic Organic Compounds

Abstract

The increased consumption of reduced-fat or non-fat products leads to a reduced intake of fat-soluble bioactive substances, such as fat-soluble vitamins. Due to their natural role as transport systems for hydrophobic substances, casein micelles (CM) might depict a viable system. The structure of CM is characterized by a lipophilic core stabilized by an electric double layer-like structure. Modification allows accessibility of the core and, therefore, the inclusion of fat-soluble bioactive substances. Well-known modifications are pH reduction and use of rennet enzyme. A completely new procedure to modify CM structure is offered by pulsed electrical fields (PEF). The principle behind PEF is called electroporation and affects the electric double layer of CM so that it is interrupted. In this way, lipophilic substances can be incorporated into CM. In this work, we evaluated integration of β-carotene into native CM by an industry-compatible process to overcome disadvantages associated with the use of Na-caseinate and avoid great technical effort, e.g., due to treatment with high hydrostatic pressure. Our research has shown that PEF can be used for disintegration of CM and that significant amounts of β-carotene can be incorporated in CM. Furthermore, after disintegration using PEF, a combination of another PEF and thermal treatment was applied to restructure CM and trap significant amounts of β-carotene, permanently, ending up with an encapsulation efficiency of 78%.

The Bacterial ClpXP-ClpB Family Is Enriched with RNA-Binding Protein Complexes

“…Similarly, stalled mitoribosomal translation products would be proline-rich, unstructured, or misfolded with strong hydrophobicity, and RNP complexes are known to undergo phase separation upon misfolding due to cell stress [ 135 ]. Secondly, the casein micelle core consists of hydrophobic monomers that are connected by abundant calcium phosphate, while its surface contains relatively hydrophilic kappa-casein with many phosphorylated residues, resulting in an electric bilayer with negative charges outside [ 136 , 137 ]. Similarly, the outside backbone of RNA hairpin and cloverleaf structures are composed of hydrophilic phosphates, and calcium bursts in periods of cell stress trigger the formation of insoluble RNP aggregates [ 138 ].…”

The Bacterial ClpXP-ClpB Family is Enriched with RNA-Binding Protein Complexes

“…Similarly, stalled mitoribosomal translation products would be proline-rich, unstructured or misfolded with strong hydrophobicity, and RNP complexes are known to undergo phase separation upon misfolding due to cell stress [133]. Secondly, the casein micelle core consists of hydrophobic monomers that are connected by abundant calcium-phosphate, while its surface contains relatively hydrophilic kappa-casein with many phosphorylated residues, resulting in an electric bilayer with negative charges outside [134,135]. Similarly, the outside backbone of RNA hairpin and cloverleaf structures are composed of hydrophilic phosphates, and calcium bursts in periods of cell stress trigger the formation of insoluble RNP aggregates [136].…”

Modeling and Optimization of Herb-Fortified Fresh Kombucha Cheese: An Artificial Neural Network Approach for Enhancing Quality Characteristics

“…Principal component analysis (PCA) aided in discerning patterns within the analyzed data by providing insights into identifying variables that exhibit similar behavior [53]. In the PCA plot, closely positioned dots signify similarities in the patterns representing these samples, according to experimental plan presented in Table 1.…”