Spherosil‐S Ion Exchange Process for Preparing Whey Protein Concentrate

Ion exchange whey protein concentrate (IEWPC) was produced from acid whey using Spherosil‐S, a microporous silica bead cation exchange medium. About 80% of the total whey proteins were recovered by the ion exchange process. The composition of IEWPC was 63 ‐ 66% protein, 1 ‐ 2% lactose, 7 ‐ 9% milkfat and 20 ‐ 22% ash. Solubility, PAGE, reverse phase HPLC and Sephadex gel frltration results confirmed that the proteins in IEWPC had undergone substantial denaturation during their isolation. Several major problems encountered during the study were: generation of large volumes of column effluent, the need for concentration of column protein elutate fractions by ultrafiltration, column fouling and loss of protein solubility and functionality.