Separation and characterization of major milk proteins from Algerian Dromedary (Camelus dromedarius)

To characterize major protein fraction in Algerian dromedary’s milk, two samples from Sahraoui population collected from two different regions were analyzed using electrophoretic and chromatographic techniques. Casein components and whey proteins were separated by DEAE-cellulose ion exchange chromatography and Sephacryl S200 permeation gel chromatography respectively, and then identified by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis which looked different from the corresponding patterns of the caseins and whey proteins from cow milk. Differences in casein composition between camel and bovine milk may influence their digestibility, hydrolysis of camel milk caseins using four different proteases (trypsin, chymotrypsin, pepsin and papain) was studied. Caseins were more rapidly hydrolyzed by pepsin because of the greater number of potential pepsin cleavage sites present in the primary structures of camel caseins.