Life Sciences Commons^™

Self-Assembled Casein Nanostructures To Deliver Novel Functionalities, Kang Pan

Doctoral Dissertations

The nanoscale micellar structure of caseins can be manipulated by mechanical forces, solvent quality, and pH to reduce turbidity, encapsulate hydrophobic compounds, and improve dispersion stability and rheological properties. The goal of this dissertation was to control the nanostructure of self-assembled caseins to deliver functionalities. The combination of treatments at pH 11.0 and acidification with citric acid was first studied to produce translucent skim milk dispersions at pH 5.5-7.0, resulting from the significantly reduced dimensions of reassembled casein nanoparticles. Using sodium caseinate (NaCas), soluble soybean polysaccharide (SSPS), and high-speed homogenization, a food grade delivery system was studied to encapsulate thymol …