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Milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) is a value-added ingredient with numerous applications. During industrial isolation, the choice of processing steps is known to influence the intactness and bioactivity of the resulting MFGM-containing material. The present study demonstrates that pasteurisation at 80, 85 or 88 °C had a different impact on the protein composition of MFGM material, depending on whether it was performed before or after microfiltration of raw milk. MFGM isolates from milk pasteurised before microfiltration had a significantly higher content of β-lactoglobulin, but a lower level of periodic acid Schiff base 6 and 7, compared with MFGM isolated from milk pasteurised after microfiltration. The β-lactoglobulin content in MFGM material increased progressively with pasteurisation temperatures. Pasteurisation after filtration did not alter the protein composition of MFGM material significantly compared with an unpasteurised control. The results point towards improved process requirements for a more gentle isolation process for MFGM-enriched fractions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Commercial ingredients containing milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) material are currently isolated from heavily processed dairy streams. The aim of this study was to achieve a more gentle isolation of MFGM material by means of ceramic dia-microfiltration of raw whole milk to separate fat globules from casein micelles and whey proteins prior to MFGM extraction. A pilot-scale experiment with 1.4 μm pore size (membrane surface area 1.05 m2) resulted in an optimal outcome of low permeation of fat (2.5% permeation) and high permeation of proteins (97% permeation). This yielded an MFGM isolate with 7% w/w polar lipids and 30% w/w proteins, where contamination of non-MFGM proteins was only 25% of total protein content. Furthermore, mild pasteurization (72 °C, 15 s) introduced either before or after microfiltration had no impact on filtration efficiency or MFGM yield and composition. The work describes an industrially relevant production method for a less-processed MFGM material of high purity with potential for further separation and valorisation of protein-rich permeate streams. • Microfiltration of raw milk was applied to obtain gently processed MFGM material. • At lab-scale, 1.4 μm ceramic membrane was found superior to 0.8 μm. • Pilot-scale filtration using 1.4 μm resulted in high-purity MFGM material. • Mild pasteurization can be applied before or after filtration without implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]