Correlations between the content of selected whey proteins in cow milk
The aim of the study was to determine the correlations between the concentrations of major whey proteins in cow milk. A total of 2,278 milk samples from Polish Holstein-Friesian (Black-and-White and Red-and-White varieties), Simmental and Jersey cows were analysed. In each sample the content of major whey proteins, i.e. α-lactalbumin, β-lactoglobulin, bovine serum albumin, lactoferrin and lysozyme were determined by the RP-HPLC method. Matrix scatter plots were prepared to determine the correlations between the concentrations of individual whey proteins. In the vast majority of cases a significant relationship was found between the content of individual whey proteins. Taking into account the production season and breed of cow, highly significant (p=0.001) negative correlation coefficients were obtained for the content of α-lactalbumin and bovine serum albumin, for α-lactalbumin and lysozyme, for β-lactoglobulin and bovine serum albumin, and for β-lactoglobulin and lysozyme. Positive correlations were observed for the concentrations of α-lactalbumin with β-lactoglobulin, lactoferrin and lysozyme, as well as for bovine serum albumin with lysozyme.