Protein recovery from residual bovine whey: Influence of acid thermo-coagulation

Thermal treatment of acidified bovine whey is one of the most efficient traditional methods for the recovery and use of residual proteins in this byproduct and an alternative way of sustainable use of this type of resource. The yield of protein recovery from residual whey obtained as a byproduct was evaluated using the acid thermo-coagulation method. Bovine whey samples were collected in dry and rainy seasons and were subjected to acid thermo-coagulation, and the protein sample preparation was achieved using the TCA/Acetone and TCA/Acetone/Phenol methods. The determination of peptides was accomplished by electrophoresis SDS-PAGE. The TCA/Acetone/Phenol method reported better performance with a higher yield (22.2 μg/ml) than the classic TCA/Acetone method (8.8 μg/ml). The proteins found in higher proportion in whey samples of the dry season, representing 82.6 % of the total protein content, while in whey samples of rainy season equivalent up to 65.4 % of total proteins. The acid thermo-coagulation technique showed high-efficiency performance in whey peptide recovery.