1979/04/01 by P. Walstra · 174 citations
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Chemistry · Materials Science · #Proteins in Food Systems #Surfactants and Colloidal Systems #Pickering emulsions and particle stabilization #Micelle #Rennet #Casein #Chemistry #Yield (engineering) #RADIUS #Analytical Chemistry (journal) #Chromatography #Crystallography #Food science #Thermodynamics #Organic chemistry #Physics #Aqueous solution
paper · open access · doi:10.1017/s0022029900017234
published in Journal of Dairy Research 46(2), 317-323 (Cambridge University Press)
openalex publication_date 1979/04/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
A comparison of literature results on the voluminosity of casein micelles yields large differences, largely related to the method of determination. After applying some corrections, methods based on hydrodynamic radius yield a value of roughly 3.9 ml/g dry casein, other methods (microscopy, sediment volume) about 2.2. Roughly half of the discrepancy can be explained by the micelles being not perfectly spherical. To explain the remaining difference, it is assumed that the micelles are hairy, i.e. they have molecular chains protruding into the milk serum. The hairyness would increase with decreasing temperature and be largely removed by the action of rennet. It would cause some entropic repulsion between micelles at close approach.