Whey protein isolate-chitosan interactions: A calorimetric and spectroscopy study

Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) measurements were performed using solutions of whey protein isolate (WPI) and chitosan with different deacetylation degrees (DD), in acetate buffer solutions, pH 3-6. Turbidity measurements were performed in parallel in order to follow the changes in aggregation, so as to get deeper insight on the interaction mechanism. The viscosity-average molar mass of chitosan was obtained from intrinsic viscosity measurements, and the interaction enthalpies were derived at the studied pH values. Further, the denaturation process of α-lactalbumin and β-lactoglobulin within WPI was characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). At pH 3, where both chitosan and the proteins are positively charged, a weak carbohydrate-protein interaction is observed. When the pH is raised to 6, where the protein charge is expected to be negative, a much stronger interaction takes place. The results are discussed with special emphasis on the effect of pH on the interactions observed in this complex system.