Abstract

In order to reduce the quantity of allergens that are causing harm to consumer, it is imperative that the proteins found in cow's milk undergo controlled hydrolysis. Investigated were the effects of different pulsed UV light fluences (0.1-10 J/cm2) on samples of commercial cow's milk proteins (CCMP: casein (CN), alpha-lactalbumin (alpha-LA), and beta-lactoglobulin (beta-LG)) and reconstituted cow's milk proteins (RCMP). The degree of hydrolysis (DH) and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) profiles in RCMP and CCMP, as well as the degree of antigenicity in RCMP, were assessed for this purpose. The DH increased in CCMP and RCMP samples at the highest fluence applied. SDS PAGE profiles showed a decrease in the intensity of the bands of the CCMP samples for fluences of 5 and 10 J/cm(2); however, this was not the case for alpha-LA. Finally, the degrees of antigenicity measured with Elisa assay in CN and beta-LG were reduced by 24% and 47%, respectively, at a fluence of 10 J/cm(2). Therefore, this nonthermal technology could be an alternative to conventional treatments to reduce the allergenic potential of cow's milk proteins; however, future clinical trials to confirm an anti-allergenic effect on consumer are needed. Practical Applications Pulsed UV light is a nonthermal technology of great relevance in the dairy industry. The aim of this article was to generate knowledge of the effect of pulsed UV light on allergenic dairy proteins. Therefore, this article aimed to demonstrate that pulsed UV light can be a novelty compared with conventional methods of inactivation of commercial and reconstituted dairy allergenic proteins.