Abstract #441

# 441
Milk proteins: Aggregation and interactions at interfaces and within dairy networks.
S. Gras*1, 1The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.

Milk protein aggregation is central to the manufacture of many dairy products but studies of individual milk proteins reveal that these proteins can participate in several different aggregation pathways; with different physiochemical environments leading to diverse final protein structures that display varied properties. This talk will focus on the aggregation of kappa casein and the associated casein macro peptide generated by cleavage with rennet. Drawing on new and existing data it will contrast the structures formed in dairy products with other aggregates, known as amyloid fibrils and compare the methods used to characterize and image gels and networks formed from these proteins. A better understanding of the landscape of protein folding and misfolding for dairy proteins will not only open up opportunities for new products and textures but also help to ensure that these proteins promote health on digestion.

Key Words: protein, aggregation

Speaker Bio
Associate Professor Sally Gras is Director of the ARC Dairy Innovation Hub, a five-year research program co-funded by the Australian Research Council and industry that aims to address major scientific and engineering challenges in the dairy manufacturing sector.
A/Prof Gras is a Reader in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at The University of Melbourne, Leader of the Food and Agribusiness research theme within the School of Engineering and Associate Director of the Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute. Sally trained as a Chemical Engineer and Molecular Biologist and received her PhD in protein biophysics from Cambridge University, U.K.