摘要：The nutritional appeal and physical functional properties of whey proteins have increased their level of use in various food products. Fractionation technologies based on ultrafiltration have created Whey Protein Concentrates (WPC) ranging from 35 to 80% protein contents leading to their increased use in different food products; but their functional properties can vary widely and may depend on the processing history, particularly drying. Because of this variability in functional properties the amount of WPC used is kept to a minimum to reduce the effects of their variable properties on overall quality of formulated foods. This study was carried out with six commercial WPC with 80% protein content (WPC80) to compare sieving and blending as methods of reducing variations in solubility, gel strength, foam volume and stability of solutions of WPC80. There was a significant difference (p<0.05) in functional properties of sieved or blended WPC80 samples. Sieving to reduce particle size of WPC80 below 150 microns increased solubility up to 50% for the least soluble samples (p<0.05). Blending all six WPC80 from different manufacturers averaged the solubility values, but sieving was better for improving individual functional properties for below average WPC80.
