Ara Kanekanian

Investigation on whey proteins profile of commercially available milk‐based probiotics health drinks using fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC)

Purpose – The main aim of this study is to investigate the whey protein profiles of different commercially available fermented milk drinks that might have been influenced by the growth of probiotics bacteria that have been added according to the claims made by the manufacturer.Design/methodology/approach – The growth and the subsequent effect of probiotics on whey proteins were investigated through the peptide profiles of the hydrolysed whey protein. The profiles of whey proteins in skimmed milk and the four other probiotic fermented milk drinks were obtained by using the FPLC technique. Changes in whey proteins profiles in fermented milks were evaluated by comparing them with those of unfermented skimmed milk (control). The four samples were those of Yakult, Actimel, Muller and Tesco probiotic cranberry drinks.Findings – This work has shown that all samples demonstrated a degree of protein hydrolysis. The high level of hydrolysis in “Yakult” and “Actimel” drink samples might have been due to the nature o...