Functional Characteristics and Nontraditional Applications of Milk Lipid Components in Food and Nonfood Systems

Milk fat can be modified to improve its functionality and expand its usage for traditional and nontraditional applications. The triglyceride, diglyceride, monoglyceride, and individual fatty acid components of milk fat determine functionality. Milk fat functionality is expressed through crystallization and melting behaviors, surface-active properties, and nutritional properties. Methods that are available to modify the functional properties of milk fat include fractionation by melt crystallization and supercritical fluid extraction, blending, texturization, interesterification, and glycerolysis. The selection of modification procedures is often driven by the requirements of the application.