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AFM Imaging of Milk Casein Micelles: Evidence for Structural Rearrangement upon Acidification

Year: 2012

Type: article

Abstract: Milk casein micelles are natural association colloids that we all encounter in everyday life, yet we still lack an accurate description of their internal structure and the interactions that stabilize it. In this letter, we provide for the first time detailed images of intact casein micelles as obtained through atomic force microscopy under liquid conditions close to physiological. The micelles appear as heterogeneous raspberry-like particles, which is consistent with a hierarchical/spongelike structure made of connected 10-40 nm dense casein regions. Upon in situ acidification to pH 5, the micelles decrease in size and lose their surface heterogeneities, indicating that this structure is highly sensitive to variations in mineral content and caseins net charge.

Source: Langmuir

DOI: 10.1021/la3001448

Authors: Mustapha Ouanezar, Fanny Guyomarc’h, Antoine Bouchoux

Institutions: Institut Agro Rennes-Angers, Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement, Science et Technologie du Lait et de l'Oeuf

Language: English

Topic: Proteins in Food Systems

Subfield: Food Science

Field: Agricultural and Biological Sciences

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: green

OpenAlex ID: W1983238962

FWCI: 9.407

Cites: 37

Cited by: 94

Related to: 10