Protein aggregation in aqueous casein solution; effect of irradiation, dose level, concentration, storage, and additives (carbohydrate and lipid).

Radiation-induced aggregation of protein in aqueous solutions was studied. Different concentrations of casein solutions have been irradiated as such or in the presence of carbohydrate and/or lipid. Gel chromatography data indicated a close relation between the amounts of aggregates and protein concentration. Protein aggregation increased with the increase in radiation dose level. The addition of carbohydrate (trehalose) reduced the amount of radiation-induced aggregates, whereas the sole addition of oil caused an induction in protein aggregation when the solution was irradiated at 1 Mrad. However, insignificant changes in protein aggregation were observed when emulsified oil was added to the casein-trehalose solution.