Analysis of the oxidative modifications on casein micelles exposed to different oxidative sources: determining the impact of these modifications at a structural and nutritional level

2026-07-22

Oxidative damage is a major problem for dairy industry as it can occur to a significant extent during the processing and/or storage of milk, and results in significant wastage. Due the high abundance of proteins, ~30% of the dry mass of whole milk, these represent one of the most abundant targets of damage. Protein oxidation can have a direct impact on the nutritional value of milk and the consumption of highly oxidised proteins may have deleterious consequences for human health. This project will provide an improved understanding of the degradation pathways of the most abundant milk proteins (caseins), the micelle structures that these proteins form, and the key drivers of these reactions. To address these aims, this project will: (1) investigate the oxidation of casein micelle (CM) mediated by the most relevant oxidative sources generated during milk processing and storage, and (2) determine the consequences of CM oxidation on their nutritional value (i.e. loss of parent amino acids) and the biological effects (i.e. decreased digestibility, toxicity to human cells). The approaches to be used in this project include analytical, biochemical and biological techniques (i.e. liquid chromatography, SDS-PAGE, western blotting, mass spectrometry, electron microscopy, cell culture models). The project is of interest to the European community as milk and dairy products represent one of the most consumed food materials, with health and nutrition claims for these products based on the presence of specific materials, such as proteins. It is therefore critically important that these claims are justified and correct. This project will provide important new knowledge, as there are currently no data available as to the pathways responsible for CM oxidative modifications. Such data is a pre-requisite to the development of lessharmful industrial milk processing methods. The project will also validate new methods to examine the nutritional quality of milk and dairy products.

Denmark

2026-02-15