Improving the functional properties of milk proteins: focus on the specificities of proteolytic enzymes

•The enzymatic hydrolysis of milk proteins has great potential for enhancing their functional properties.•Specificities and mechanisms of action of proteolytic enzymes are critical for obtaining milk protein hydrolysates.•It is possible to modulate milk protein hydrolysates to balance their functional properties.

Milk proteins modified by enzymatic hydrolysis have potential for optimizing functional properties. The most common method of improving the functional properties of milk proteins is to subject them to enzymatic hydrolysis. However, a limited number of studies correlated their results with the biochemical properties of the proteolytic enzymes to understand the mechanism of action by which the functional properties of the milk proteins are affected by the specificity of the proteases. In this review, the primary focus is the use of enzymatic hydrolysis of milk proteins as a tool for enhancing their functional properties, emphasizing protein solubility, gelation, and emulsion capacities. In particular, there is a discussion of the specificities of the proteolytic enzymes.