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Enzymology of Milk and Milk Products

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Dairy Chemistry and Biochemistry

Abstract

Like all other foods of plant or animal origin, milk contains several indigenous enzymes. The principal constituents of milk (lactose, lipids and proteins) can be modified by exogenous enzymes, added to induce specific changes; being a liquid, milk is more amenable to enzyme action than solid foods Exogenous enzymes may also be used to analyse for certain constituents in milk. In addition, milk and most dairy products contain viable microorganisms which secrete extracellular enzymes or release intracellular enzymes after the cells have lysed. Some of these microbial enzymes may cause undesirable changes, e.g., hydrolytic rancidity in milk and dairy products, bitterness and/or age gelation of UHT milk, bittiness in cream, malty flavours or bitterness in fluid milk, or they may cause desirable flavours, e.g., in ripened cheese.

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  1. School of Food and Nutritional Sciences, University College, Cork, Ireland

    P. F. Fox, T. Uniacke-Lowe, P. L. H. McSweeney & J. A. O’Mahony

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  3. P. L. H. McSweeney
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Fox, P.F., Uniacke-Lowe, T., McSweeney, P.L.H., O’Mahony, J.A. (2015). Enzymology of Milk and Milk Products. In: Dairy Chemistry and Biochemistry. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-14892-2_10

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