Cytotoxicity, structural, conformational, and techno-functional properties of α-lactalbumin nanostructured aggregates

Protein nanostructures can be used in food applications to improve the techno-functional properties of a food formulation. This study aims to find the best conditions for the production and conformational change of α-lactalbumin nanostructured aggregates. The criteria to determine the best operating conditions to produce α-lactalbumin nanostructured aggregates were intensification of foaming and emulsification, techno-functional proprieties, cytotoxic, and antibacterial activity of nanostructures compared with native α-lactalbumin. Conformational alterations occurred in the α-helix and sheet-β protein structures. The size obtained by dynamic light scattering was 163.84 nm with a polydispersity index of 0.29. The nano protein improved the techno-functional property compared to the native protein. Additionally, nanostructures had no cytotoxic effect and were innocuous to bacterial activity. Thus, this study presents the best conditions to produce α-lactalbumin nanostructured aggregates with improved properties that allow new food industry applications.