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Whey processing, functionality and health benefits
International Dairy Journal 20 (2010) 371
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
International Dairy Journal journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/idairyj
Book review Whey processing, functionality and health benefits, C.I. Onwulata, P.J. Huth (Eds.). Wiley-Blackwell/IFT Press, 2121 State Ave, Ames, Iowa, USA (2008). p. 389. price $199.00, ISBN 978-0-8138-0903-8, 978-0-8138-2828-4 Contrary to the title, this book is not about whey processing at all, but presents a largely uneven collection of reviews, treatises, articles, odd research reports and even a cookbook-style chapter concerning whey protein. Of the fourteen chapters, only one (chapter 2) has a hint of processing in the title (Whey protein fractionation) but even this has very little to do with any real industrial processing. Most of the writing is focusing on research reports based on laboratory experiments, not on any established industrial processes. Thus, the book is really a collection of literature reviews dealing mainly with technological (chapters 2–11) and physiological (chapters 12 and 13) functionality of whey protein. Most chapters are based on rather extensive lists of references (some 6–8 pages long) originating from various scientific journals. This could perhaps be considered one of the very few valuable features of the book, especially for the novice academic researchers or ‘‘small-scale’’ product developers. For those who already know something about whey and whey processing, the general superficiality of the writing will be disappointing, including the introductory chapter 1, where some historical aspects of early whey processing approaches are reviewed on scant 6 pages, followed by a few words on physiological functionality. As is true for most multi-authored books, the quality of the writing is uneven and there is much repetition, in some cases bordering on annoying. One obvious example is the chapter 3 (Separation of b-lactoglobulin from whey: Its physico-chemical properties and potential uses). While by itself a very good chapter on the biochemistry and aggregation behaviour of this main whey protein, it repeats lots of the information given more superficially in the preceding chapter 2. It also illustrates the lack of focus permeating the whole book – despite the first part of the title, the separation aspects are not the main theme here. The following three chapters discuss some specific applications of whey proteins, again in a very uneven style. Chapter 4 (Whey protein stabilized emulsions) is largely a treatise on emulsion science in general, having little to do with whey proteins. In chapter 5 (Whey proteins: Functionality and foaming under acidic conditions) the emulsification comes up again,
doi:10.1016/j.idairyj.2009.12.010
in addition to gelation and foaming. Chapter 6 (Whey protein films and coatings) examines an interesting ‘‘potential’’ (still. after how many years???) application, but can be cited as another example of gross superficiality – the trivial description of what is whey and what is whey protein (page 137) belongs to an undergraduate term paper, not to a specialized technical book chapter. The remaining ‘‘technological chapters’’ are a weird collection of research reports on specific projects. One of them, on development of a pectin-based cranberry confectionery with added whey protein, comes in the structure of a research article, with a dutifully described objective, M þ M, R þ D and Conclusions sections. why is this included here is hard to comprehend. The only even less fitting chapter is the one on ‘‘Whey inclusions’’, introducing a product referred to as ‘‘whey protein crisp’’ and giving true cookbook recipes for a few products like food bars, snacks, or breakfast cereal, with all the right directions (‘‘melt butter in a saucepan. stir until dissolved completely..’’). a real whey processing science! The one outstanding chapter in this concoction is the Ch. 12 on ‘‘Whey proteins and peptides in human health’’, standing out by its size (40 pages plus 18 pages of references), the thoroughness of the writing, and even the topicality – the focus is indeed on whey protein and its various claimed (real or potential) health effects. In contrast, in the second ‘‘health-related’’ chapter 13 (on muscle accretion) the focus is again fuzzy – more on proteins in general rather than on whey protein. The concluding chapter 14 crowns the feeling of overall disappointment from this opus; this is a collection of all the ‘‘buzz-words’’ of the current processing research, with little relevance for the specifics of whey protein – let alone whey – processing. In the whole book there is nothing on any of the other whey components, especially nothing at all on lactose (the word is nowhere to be found in the index whose superficiality matches that of the whole book). If you are really interested in the subject of whey processing and functionality, this is not the right source; the now almost 20 years old ‘‘Whey and whey utilization’’ by Sienkiewicz and Riedel is still the ‘‘whey to go’’.
P. Jelen Dept. of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada E-mail address: [email protected]
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
International Dairy Journal journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/idairyj
Book review Whey processing, functionality and health benefits, C.I. Onwulata, P.J. Huth (Eds.). Wiley-Blackwell/IFT Press, 2121 State Ave, Ames, Iowa, USA (2008). p. 389. price $199.00, ISBN 978-0-8138-0903-8, 978-0-8138-2828-4 Contrary to the title, this book is not about whey processing at all, but presents a largely uneven collection of reviews, treatises, articles, odd research reports and even a cookbook-style chapter concerning whey protein. Of the fourteen chapters, only one (chapter 2) has a hint of processing in the title (Whey protein fractionation) but even this has very little to do with any real industrial processing. Most of the writing is focusing on research reports based on laboratory experiments, not on any established industrial processes. Thus, the book is really a collection of literature reviews dealing mainly with technological (chapters 2–11) and physiological (chapters 12 and 13) functionality of whey protein. Most chapters are based on rather extensive lists of references (some 6–8 pages long) originating from various scientific journals. This could perhaps be considered one of the very few valuable features of the book, especially for the novice academic researchers or ‘‘small-scale’’ product developers. For those who already know something about whey and whey processing, the general superficiality of the writing will be disappointing, including the introductory chapter 1, where some historical aspects of early whey processing approaches are reviewed on scant 6 pages, followed by a few words on physiological functionality. As is true for most multi-authored books, the quality of the writing is uneven and there is much repetition, in some cases bordering on annoying. One obvious example is the chapter 3 (Separation of b-lactoglobulin from whey: Its physico-chemical properties and potential uses). While by itself a very good chapter on the biochemistry and aggregation behaviour of this main whey protein, it repeats lots of the information given more superficially in the preceding chapter 2. It also illustrates the lack of focus permeating the whole book – despite the first part of the title, the separation aspects are not the main theme here. The following three chapters discuss some specific applications of whey proteins, again in a very uneven style. Chapter 4 (Whey protein stabilized emulsions) is largely a treatise on emulsion science in general, having little to do with whey proteins. In chapter 5 (Whey proteins: Functionality and foaming under acidic conditions) the emulsification comes up again,
doi:10.1016/j.idairyj.2009.12.010
in addition to gelation and foaming. Chapter 6 (Whey protein films and coatings) examines an interesting ‘‘potential’’ (still. after how many years???) application, but can be cited as another example of gross superficiality – the trivial description of what is whey and what is whey protein (page 137) belongs to an undergraduate term paper, not to a specialized technical book chapter. The remaining ‘‘technological chapters’’ are a weird collection of research reports on specific projects. One of them, on development of a pectin-based cranberry confectionery with added whey protein, comes in the structure of a research article, with a dutifully described objective, M þ M, R þ D and Conclusions sections. why is this included here is hard to comprehend. The only even less fitting chapter is the one on ‘‘Whey inclusions’’, introducing a product referred to as ‘‘whey protein crisp’’ and giving true cookbook recipes for a few products like food bars, snacks, or breakfast cereal, with all the right directions (‘‘melt butter in a saucepan. stir until dissolved completely..’’). a real whey processing science! The one outstanding chapter in this concoction is the Ch. 12 on ‘‘Whey proteins and peptides in human health’’, standing out by its size (40 pages plus 18 pages of references), the thoroughness of the writing, and even the topicality – the focus is indeed on whey protein and its various claimed (real or potential) health effects. In contrast, in the second ‘‘health-related’’ chapter 13 (on muscle accretion) the focus is again fuzzy – more on proteins in general rather than on whey protein. The concluding chapter 14 crowns the feeling of overall disappointment from this opus; this is a collection of all the ‘‘buzz-words’’ of the current processing research, with little relevance for the specifics of whey protein – let alone whey – processing. In the whole book there is nothing on any of the other whey components, especially nothing at all on lactose (the word is nowhere to be found in the index whose superficiality matches that of the whole book). If you are really interested in the subject of whey processing and functionality, this is not the right source; the now almost 20 years old ‘‘Whey and whey utilization’’ by Sienkiewicz and Riedel is still the ‘‘whey to go’’.
P. Jelen Dept. of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada E-mail address: [email protected]