Effect of Fluorescent Light on Amino Acid Composition of Serum Proteins from Homogenized Milk

The serum proteins isolated from homegenized milk by centrifugation and exposed to 2152lx of fluorescent light for 72 h were fractionated into the major protein components by gel filtration chromatography. Amino acid composition of the major serum proteins, beta-lactoglobulin and alpha-lactalbumin which accounted for 80% of the total serum protein, did not change substantially following light exposure. Changes in amino acid composition associated with fluorescent light exposure occurred primarily in the high molecular weight fraction of serum proteins. This fraction amounts to at most 10% of the serum proteins.