BIOCHEMICAL-STUDIES ON PROTEINS FROM CHEESE WHEY AND BLOOD-PLASMA BY-PRODUCTS

Efforts have been done to recover proteins from waste liquors rich in protein in a soluble form. Cheese whey and animal bloods are byproduct s from the manufacture of cheese and meat. It contains a variety of pr oteins which can be reclaimed. The efficiency of protein precipitation from the sweet-cheese whey by the use of hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) was similar to that precipitated by the use of carboxymethyl cellulos e (CMC). Both are greater than that precipitated by trichloro acetic a cid. The same results of the efficiency of precipitation were attained when the plasma protein was precipitated. It was found that cheese-wh ey protein-HEC-complex and plasms protein-HEC-complex contain a large amount of essential amino acids. Electrophoretic separation of whey pr otein complex showed that beta-Lactoglobulin forms the major fraction while in case of plasma protein complex albumin forms the major fracti on. The fractionation patterns of different complexes with HEC, CMC or TCA gave the same components and about the same ratio. It appears fro m these results that HEC-protein complexes are preferable than CMC-pro tein complexes or proteins precipitated by TCA. Chemical analysis of w hey protein complexes revealed that lactose content of whey protein-HE C-complex was higher than that of CMC-complex or protein precipitated by TCA. Elemental analysis of protein complexes showed that the level of sodium, phosphorus, and potassium was increased while that of coppe r or zinc decreased. Cellulose derivative protein complexes showed no significant effects on the liver or kindney function of albino rat and these results indicated that no toxic effect was observed from the us es of these protein complexes in feeding.