@misc{9230472,
  abstract     = {{Milk protein compositions play a pivotal role in physicochemical and technological properties of milk, particularly in rennet coagulation in cheese production. Conventional analytical methods such as sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and liquid chromatography–high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) provide detailed protein characterization but require long analysis times, extensive sample preparation and specialized instruments. Therefore, a need for another rapid method for practical routine protein profiling in dairy applications.
The aim of this study was to validate microfluidic chip electrophoresis using the Agilent 2100 Bioanalyzer and Protein 80 kit as a rapid method for milk protein profiling and to investigate if protein profiles obtained by this technique are correlated with rennet-induced coagulation properties. Raw milk samples collected from seventeen dairy farms and four dairy plant silos in southwestern Sweden were analysed. Protein profiles obtained by the Bioanalyzer were compared with LC-HRMS data, and relationships between protein fractions and rheological parameters were evaluated.
The Agilent 2100 Bioanalyzer successfully detected and profiled the major milk protein fractions, including α-casein (α-CN), β-casein (β-CN), κ-casein (κ-CN), β-lactoglobulin (β-LG), and α-lactalbumin (α-LA). Good reproducibility was observed for the major protein peak and overall protein distribution patterns showed agreement with LC-HRMS. However, differences were observed for certain protein fractions, particularly proteins with overlapping peaks and post-translational modifications.
Correlation plots revealed moderate relationships between casein fractions and rheological properties. Among the caseins, κ-CN showed the strongest association with yield stress, suggesting a potential contribution to gel network formation during rennet coagulation. Nevertheless, this indicated that milk coagulation behaviour is influenced by multiple factors beyond protein composition alone.
This study is managed within the PhD project “From farm to dairy: Sustainable milk quality for profitable cheese production” by Simon Höxter. By validating this rapid protein profiling technique and correlating its relationship to coagulation properties, this thesis contributes to the development of more efficient measurement for characterizing milk quality in industrial cheese production.
To summarize, microfluidic chip electrophoresis using the Agilent 2100 Bioanalyzer demonstrates potential as a rapid and reproducible method for milk protein profiling. Although further experiments are required before the method can be considered fully suitable for quantitative protein analysis, its speed, automation, and low sample requirements make it a promising screening tool for dairy research and industrial applications.}},
  author       = {{Zi, Yu and Nguyen, Khanh Minh Mai}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Examining the validity of a new rapid method for mapping out proteins in milk}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}