Surface adsorption alters the susceptibility of whey proteins to pepsin-digestion

Whey protein-stabilized emulsions were treated with pepsin and the physico-chemical properties and the hydrolysis behaviour were tested. While adsorption at the interface increased the susceptibility of β-lactoglobulin to hydrolysis, it significantly decreased the susceptibility of α-lactalbumin. This behaviour was also affected by the amount of unadsorbed protein present in the emulsion.