The influence of milk protein genetic polymorphism on the physical properties of cultured milk

The effect of milk protein genetic polymorphism on the properties of cultured milk was studied, focussing on the rheological properties, the degree of syneresis, particle size distribution and fermentation metabolites. Significant effects of genetic polymorphisms of lactoglobulin (β-LG) was found on the degree of syneresis and the resistance of the gel network to rupture (yield stress) in the stored product. However, no significant effect of β-LG genotype on yield stress was observed after including protein content in the statistical model. The degree of syneresis and concentration of acetoin in the stored product were affected by the β-LG genotype and αS1/κ-casein composite genotypes, respectively, even when adjusted for protein content by the statistical model. These results showed that there are some possibilities of using milk protein genomics for improvement of the water-binding capacity of cultured milk. However, further studies using standardised protein concentration are needed.