Progress 08/01/24 to 07/31/25
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audiences for thisreporting period of this project are dairy industry which is looking for alternative uses of MCC. Food industry which is actively looking for alternatives to gelatin. Other target audiences are professionals attending national and international scientific conferences such as annual ADSA, IFT meetings and Food Structure Functionality Forums, local Dairy Industry participating in the BUILD Dairy program, graduate students, general public etc. Changes/Problems:Co-PI of this project Dr. Silvana Martini left Utah State University to join Nebraska-Lincoln University last year Summer of 2024. This created a lag on the start of objective 3. I am currently negotiating with her to help remotely my student to complete these tasks or find some other alternatives. I would also appreciate guidance from the USDA program manager. I reached out to previous program manager Dr. Hondga Chen but he was in the phase out for his retirement when I outreach to him. Any gudiance in this regard will be highly appreciated. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Graduate Student Jasper ShekinJ got following opportunities; attended a three day rheology training boot camp at Ashalnd, Virgnia during May 12-17, 2025. The training included hands-on experience onadvance rheological tools including familiarization with RheoCompass Software. attended a Dairy Chemistry short course delivered by famous irish dairy chemist Prof. Paul McSweeney during November 19-20, 2024. selected as top 10 finalist for the ADSA oral competition. Participated in the IFT Bonneville section supplier's night and presented a poster in April, 2025. Participated in the NDFS Autmn Research Showcase in October 2025. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Data generated in this project was disseminated to scientific audience through conference presentations, to dairy industry through BUILD dairy program monthly and annual meeting. Participated in the IFT Bonneville section supplier's night and presented a poster in April, 2025. Participated in the NDFS Autmn Research Showcase in October 2025. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Plan for next year objective wise. For Objective 1. Complete experiments and data analysis on the reconsituted MCC samples. Apply phenomenological rheology models on the data and quantify extent of thermoreversibility. Also use other calcium chelating salts such as sodium hexa meta phosphates to modify the structureof micellar caseins. For Objective 2, Complete experiments on comibnation of physico-chemical modification and polysaccharide addition to the MCC dispersions and understand their role in influencing cold gelling behavior. For Objective 3. Because of Dr. Martini's departure from the USU last year. Work on this objective got delayed. on this objective our emphasis would be on conducting preliminary experiments on sonication of MCC samples in consultation with Dr. Martini (now in Nebraska-Lincon).
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
On Objective 1. Experiments were conducted on the reconsituted version of MCC obtained from the industry supplier in order to see whether the cold gelling phenomenon is more or less prounced upon drying MCC. Cold Gelling Temperature (CGT) and gel strength (G') across protein concentrations ranging from 5% to 23% during cooling were tested using Anton-Paar MCR 302 rheometer. The experimental protocol involved three stages: holding the dispersion at 60°C for 1 hour, ramping the temperature down from 60°C to 5°C, and curing the gel by holding at 5°C for 12 hours. The viscoelastic properties were continuously monitored throughout the experimental process. Change in the particle size distribution upon cooling from 60°C to 5°C was analyzed using the Anton-Paar Litesizer 500. Cold gel formation was not observed below a 15% protein concentration. As the concentration increased from 15% to 20%, the CGT increased from 8.9°C to 35°C, accompanied by a 35-fold increase in gel strength (G'). At 23% protein concentration, the dispersion exhibited gel-like characteristics even at 60°C, showing that increasing protein concentration alone can significantly elevate the gelling point. A sharp increase in mean particle size from 100 nm to 180 nm was observed at 30°C, indicating optimal protein-water interactions for micelle swelling and self-assembly, thereby facilitating gel formation. Frequency dependence of storage modulus (G') decreased with increasing protein concentration, suggesting formation of a stronger network. During the curing stage, the storage modulus (G') doubled, indicating increased gel strength over time. These results highlight the critical role of protein concentration in cold gel formation and provide insights into optimizing the formulation of protein beverages to mitigate undesirable gelation. In Objective 2.experiments were conducted on the developing protocol for incorporating polysaccharides into MCC solutions in order improve thermoreversible behavior.Modifications to the HC-MCC were in 4 categories: dilution, pH adjustment, calcium chelating (TSC) salt addition, and KC addition. Adjustment of protein content was performed with deionized water. Adjustment of pH was accomplished utilizing sodium hydroxide (NaOH) as a base.Rheological measurements were performed using an Anton Paar MCR 302 rheometer (Anton Paar GMBH, Graz, Austria) using a concentric cylinder geometry setup (model no. CC27). For sample loading, 20ml of sample was heated to 40oC and poured into the bottom of the sample cylinder. An oil layer is added on the top via a pipette to prevent dehydration during the rheological protocol. Rheological testing was conducted in three stages. In the first stage a time sweep was conducted by holding the sample at 40oC for 5 minutes, recording data every 30 seconds for a total of 10 data points. The following temperature sweep decreased from 40oC to 5oC and recorded data every 41.25 seconds resulting in 51 data points. Lastly, the third stage held samples at 5oC for at least 10 hours, making measurements every minute.Texture analysis of treatments was conducted using a TA-XT Plus texture analyzer (Stable Micro System ltd., Surrey, UK) with a texture profile test using a two-bite test with 25% compression. Samples of HC-MCC treatments were poured into 30mm diameter cylindrical molds and were allowed to solidify overnight in a 5oC refrigerator prior to testing. Fracture properties were tested in compression deformation modes using a 1.5cm thick section of sample.Ultrastructure analysis of HC-MCC mixtures was performed using the TEM method described by (Lu et al., 2015). Samples from each treatment group will undergo TEM imaging with 0, 0.1, and 0.3% KC added.The addition of KC into diluted MCC dispersions results in significant increases in both gel strength and gelation temperature. The use of KC creates separate phases within solution that absorb water to a greater extent than casein, resulting in concentrated casein pockets within a composite network. Additional physicochemical modifications in the form of calcium chelation and alkalization improved gel strength and CGT, at the expense of a reduction in textural hardness and strain hardening properties. Interaction between KC and HC-MCC was minimal regardless of treatment, indicating that elevated gel qualities were due to the water binding effects of KC rather than the formation of a KC-casein matrix. In the future, studies with other forms of physicochemical modifications could yield additional insights into the cold gelling behavior of MCC dispersions.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2025
Citation:
Sharma P (2025). Understanding the structure-function relationship in selected dairy food matrices using material science approaches. IFT FIRST Annual Event and Expo, July 13 15, 2025, Chicago, Illinois. (Invited Oral)
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2025
Citation:
Sharma P. (2024). Understanding the structure-function relationship in dairy food matrices using material science approaches. American Dairy Science Association annual meeting, West Palm Beach, FL, USA, June 16-19, 2024. (Invited talk).
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2025
Citation:
1. Shekin J, J., & Sharma P. (2025, June 22-25). Impact of protein concentration on the cold gelling behavior of reconstituted micellar casein dispersions. American Dairy Science Association annual meeting, Louisville, KY, USA.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2025
Citation:
Shekin J, J., & Sharma P. (2025, September 12-13). Cold gelling behavior of reconstituted micellar casein dispersions. Institute of Biological Engineering, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2025
Citation:
Shekin J, J., & Sharma P. (2025, July 13-16). Impact of protein concentration on cold gelling behavior of reconstituted micellar casein concentrates. IFT First Event & Expo, Chicago, IL, USA
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Progress 08/01/23 to 07/31/24
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audiences for the reporting period of this project are dairy industry which is looking for alternative uses of MCC. Food industry which is actively looking for alternatives to gelatin. Other target audiences are professionals attending national and international scientific conferences such as annual ADSA, IFT meetings and Food Structure Functionality Forums, local Dairy Industry participating in the BUILD Dairy program, graduate students, general public etc. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?PhD student Jasper Shekin and Undergraduate student Nathan Pace received advanced training on rheological techniques. Jasper presented an oral talk and poster presentation in USDA PD meeting. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Data generated in this project was disseminated to scientific audience through conference presentations, to dairy industry through BUILD dairy program monthly and annual meeting. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Dr. Sharma's laboratory will continue working on studying the impact of concentration, physico-chemical modification (pH, TSC and Sodium hexametaphosphate) on the viscoelastic properties of the MCC. Thermoreversibility of these samples will also be studied using multiwave technique. Rheological modelling will be performed on the MCC and Kappa-carrageenan gels. Optimum conditions for mixing MCC and kappa-carrageenan will be established in the Sharma lab. Preliminary experiments on sonication of MCC samples will be conducted in Dr. Silvana Martini's lab. Selected samples will be analyzed in the Advanced Photo Source, Argonne National Laboratory, USA with the help of Dr. Fernanda Peyronel from University of Guelph, Guelph, Canada.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
As part of Objective one, to elucidate the mechanism behind the gelation of HC-MCC, whether it was due to jamming transition or structural changes in the micelle due to calcium chelation, the samples were treated by 0, 10, 25, 50 mM trisodium citrate (TSC) or alkaline pH adjustment (6.6, 6.8, 7.0) using NaOH. Multiwave oscillatory rheology in combination with time and temperature sweeps were used to study rheological changes in HC-MCC. Critical sol-gel transition point was determined using Winter and Chambon criteria, temperature at which the value of the loss tangent was independent of the frequency. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was conducted to observe ultrastructural changes in micellar structure due to sample modification. Rheological data shows that all modifications significantly increased (Pg) from 11.7oC to 30.2oC. Alkalization of HC-MCC from pH 6.6 to 7.0 produced stronger gels (G'=26 kPa) than chelation by using TSC at 25 mM (G'=13.1 kPa). However, both treatments (pH 7.0 and TSC 25 mM) increased Tg values to the same level i.e., from 11.7 to 29.9oC. Increasing TSC concentration to 50mM resulted in a significant decrease (Pg (24.4oC) as compared to 25mM samples. TEM micrographs confirm the existence of intact casein micelles within solution for control samples, along with minimal space between structures. TEM micrographs show that with increasing TSC content up to 25mM or increasing pH up to 7.0, disintegration of micellar structure and release of individual casein fractions was observed with concomitant increase in the gel strength suggesting that altered casein-water interactions were taking place. This can be attributed to reduced hydrophobic interactions between casein submicelles and solubilization of colloidal calcium phosphate from micellar structure at low temperature. However, at 50mM TSC levels, complete disappearance of the casein micellar structure and the formation of larger casein aggregates with decreases in gel strength was observed. Reduction in pH from the native state of 6.6 resulted in a decrease in gel strength, gelation temperature, particle size and net charge. Alkalization of the sample however, increased strength, but the effect of calcium chelation in conjunction with higher pH improved gel qualities less than at native and acidic pH levels. This study shows the potential of forming thermo-reversible cold gels through physio-chemical modification of HC-MCC. In addition to the above studies, rheological studies were conducted on the varying concentration (0.1-1.5%) of kappa-carrageenan. It was evident that kappa-carrageenan formed a critical gel near 25oC upon cooling. With increasing concentration of kappa-carrageenan strength of kappa-carrageenan gels increased.
Publications
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