Kappa Carrageenan‐Whey Protein Coacervates for Improving Ricotta Cheesemaking by Ultrasound‐Assisted Coprecipitation Processes

Ricotta cheese is produced following a simple procedure for recovering proteins from both acid and sweet whey; however, its yield is relatively low, and the process is considered energy‐intensive. Consequently, alternatives to increase its efficiency are actively sought after. High‐intensity ultrasound (HIUS) is an emerging nonthermal, cavitation‐based technology that has been recently explored to improve protein recovery from whey streams, reducing processing time and using selected coagulation‐inducing chemical additives. The addition of micellar casein to whey could further improve protein recuperation via coprecipitation, but it could be valuable to explore more cost‐effective alternatives such as whey protein (WP) isolate‐kappa carrageenan complex coacervates. The influence of HIUS (24 kHz, 400 W, E = 42.2 W s/mL), complex coacervation (16% v/v), and coprecipitation processes with micellar casein concentrate (MCC) (0.5% w/w) on yield, processing time, and physicochemical characteristics of whey ricotta cheese from both acid and sweet whey were evaluated. A completely randomized design was implemented with whey treatment (untreated, CC‐added, CC‐added + HIUS‐treated, CC/MCC added, CC/MCC added + HIUS‐treated) as the independent variable. All sonicated samples did not require a pH adjustment to induce protein precipitation, while acid whey products exhibited lower yields and softer textures than their sweet whey counterparts. The use of complex coacervation improved Ricotta cheese yield (1.9‐ to 2.4‐fold) because of an increased water‐holding capacity of the cheese matrix; meanwhile, applying sonication, coprecipitation, and complex coacervation processes induce a 1.9‐ to 2.0‐fold increase in cheese yield, producing yellower, firmer cheese, allowing the manufacture of ricotta cheese‐type products with unique technological features.