Chemistry of Milk

Milk = water(85- 90 %) + proteins + fats + lactose + minerals

Milk protein: Casein (80%) and Whey protein (20%). Casein miscelle is a chain of amino acids generally bounded by minerals and fats. Casein is a phoshoprotein and exist as a calicium salt, calicium caseinate. As a food source, casein supplies amino acids, carbohydrates, and the two inorganic elements calcium and phosphorus.

Lactoses molecular formula for lactose is C12H22O11. Lactose is formed from galactose and glucose units. Lactose is the main carbohydrate in milk. Lactose is responsible for drawing water into the milk as it is being formed in the mammary glands of mammals.

Milk fat is a mixture of different  fatty acids and glycerol.Milk fat is a mixture of different  fatty acids and glycerol.Albumins are globular proteins that are soluble in water and in dilute salt solutions. They are, however, denatured and coagulated by heat. The second most abundant protein types in milk are the lactalbumins. Once the caseins have been removed, and the solution has been made acidic, the lactalbumins can be isolated by heating the mixture to precipitate them. The typical albumin has a molecular weight of about 41,000. A third type of protein in milk is the lactoglobulins. They are present in smaller amounts than the albumins and generally denature and precipitate under the same conditions as the albumin.

Caseinates: A beneficial property of the casein molecule is its ability to form a gel or clot in the stomach, which makes it very efficient in nutrient supply. The clot is able to provide a sustained slow release of amino acids into the blood stream, sometimes lasting for several hours. Casein is the reason for milk being white opaque in visible spectrum.

Casein proteins are composed of the following amino acids:

• 20.2% Glutamic Acid
• 10.2% Proline
•  8.3% Leucine*
•  7.4% Lysine*
•  6.5% Valine*
•  6.4% Aspartic Acid
•  5.7% Serine
•  5.7% Tyrosine
•  5.5% Isoleucine*
•  4.5% Phenylalanine*
•  4.4% Threonine*
•  3.7% Arginine
•  2.8% Histidine
•  2.7% Alanine
•  2.5% Methionine*
•  2.4% Glycine
•  1.1% Tryptophan*
•  0.3% Cystine