Effect of milk protein genetic polymorphisms on rennet and acid coagulation properties after standardisation of protein content

The effects of milk protein genetic polymorphisms on the rennet and acid coagulation properties of milk after protein standardisation were investigated. Skim milk samples were adjusted to a protein concentration of 6.07 ± 0.06% by ultrafiltration (UF) before evaluating rennet coagulation and acid coagulation properties. Only the β-lactoglobulin (β-LG) genotypes influenced the rennet-clotting time before standardisation for the total protein concentration by UF; however, this effect was confounded with the β-LG concentration. After UF-concentration, a similar protein concentration between the samples was achieved in the retentate, then the rennet clotting time and rennet curd firmness at 30 min were significantly influenced by both the κ-casein (κ-CN) and β-LG genotypes. κ-CN genotypes significantly influenced the acid coagulation properties of both skim milk and retentate. Variations in the concentration of milk proteins (mostly αS2-CN-12P) explained most of the differences in the rennet and acid coagulation properties of milk after protein standardisation by UF.