Figure 3.

The polymeric structure of whey proteins and their fractions. β-lg belongs to the lipocalin family of proteins, which all contain a β-barrel composed of antiparallel β-sheets. In β-lg, each β sheet has one hydrophobic side and one hydrophilic side. The two hydrophobic sides face each other, creating a hydrophobic cavity. The α-lactalbumin (α-la) is a globular 123-amino acid, 14.2 kDa protein. A, B, and C are considered as genetic variants, and BSA is a 582-amino acid residue protein. The structure consists of three domains stabilized by 17 disulfide bonds and one free thiol group [16].