Physical Quality and Microbiological Safety of Some Fruit Juices Served in Cafes/Juice Houses: The Case of Hossana Town, Southern Ethiopia

Abstract

Circular dichroism (CD) is a sensitive method that enables accurate detection of protein conformation, as well as structural changes in response to environmental factors such as processing and handling. Whey protein is generally considered the most nutritionally available protein powder source, but variance may exist even among whey proteins. Taking into account a variety of processing, storage and transport conditions, the purpose of this study is to explore whether those variations could result in detectable differences in CD assessed protein structure among different whey protein products available on the market. Secondary and tertiary CD as well as HT spectra of 10 various commercial dry whey products are presented, illustrating marked structural variations among the materials. This might point to the fact that external factors such as processing and/or handling techniques of whey products might have an impact on product characteristics and possibly their nutritional effects.