Interfacial and foaming properties of bovine β-lactoglobulin: Galactose Maillard conjugates

In this paper, the effect of the initial and advanced steps of glycosylation by Maillard reaction (MR) (glycation) of β-lactoglobulin (β-Lg) with galactose on the interfacial and foaming (foamability and foam stability) properties of this protein has been studied at both pH 7 and pH 5. Hardly any effect of glycation was observed at pH 7. However, a pH 5, due to its increased solubility, β-Lg glycated at 50 °C during 48 h (advanced steps of MR) presented the best dynamic of adsorption which lead to an increase of the surface dilatational modulus of adsorbed film. This resulted in a better foaming capacity, as well as higher stability of foams of β-Lg glycoconjugates with respect to native and control heated protein. These results could extend the applicability of β-Lg as a foaming agent, particularly in acid foods.