Coupling high hydrostatic pressure and ultrafiltration for fractionation of alpha-lactalbumin from skim milk

The separation of α-lactalbumin (α-LAC) and β-lactoglobulin (β-LG) by ultrafiltration (UF) is a technological challenge due to their similar molecular size. As high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) treatment generates β-LG complexes of a larger molecular size than native β-LG, it was suggested that pressurization of skim milk could improve the separation of α-LAC by UF. The strategy was effective, but the pressurization affected UF performance, α-LAC recovery and purity. Hence, the combination of HHP and UF might not be the most efficient strategy for producing an enriched α-LAC fraction, but this study generated significant scientific knowledge about HHP in separation technology.