Examination of the structure of the bovine milk-fat-globule membrane and of cheese by X-ray crystallography

Summary Low-angle X-ray diffraction techniques have been applied to the study of the structure of the fat-globule membrane of milk and of Cheddar cheese. Membrane was prepared by freeze-thawing, churning and ether extraction, the endproduct of each method being a pellet produced by centrifuging. High-angle and low-angle reflexions from membrane could be related to triglyceride spacings, and low-angle reflexions due to spacings at about 5·5 nm to phospholipid bilayers. Spacings due to triglycerides were observed in mature Cheddar together with spacings that agreed well with values for some of the amino acids.