Nanostructured Dairy Powder for Improved Functionality (2012-2015)
Abstract
Progressive loss of solubility of powders rich in protein has been an ongoing issue in the dairy industry for functional, nutritional and nutraceutical applications. Recent research suggests that the loss of solubility is mainly contributed by the interaction of nanosize casein micelles. The proposed project addresses this issue by taking a novel nano material science approach of incorporating nanoparticles of naturally-occurring food components in protein rich dairy systems to produce nano-structured powders with improved functionality and solubility. Cutting-edge analytical tools will be employed to investigate various interacting factors and functionality changes occurring during the processing and storage of these powders.