Special Issue "Interaction of Dairy Proteins and Natural Active Molecules in Food Processing Engineering"

Dear Colleagues,

Milk is a good source of protein and has a high nutritional value. The dairy proteins primarily include casein and whey protein (β-lactoglobulin, glycomacropeptide, α-lactalbumin, immunoglobulins, bovine serum albumin, lactoferrin, lactoperoxidase and proteose peptone). Some dairy proteins are reported to have certain functions. For example, casein can be employed as a good emulsifier during food processing., and whey protein can utilized to enhance physical performance and prevent muscular degeneration. Lactoferrin can reduce gut inflammation and is widely applied in infant formula. These proteins have been found to interact with many natural molecules during food processing or engineering. Via complexation or conjugation with other natural compounds, dairy proteins are able to change their structures, leading to the modification of certain functions, such as foaming ability, antioxidant activity, tumor prevention capacity and enhancement of nutrient absorption during digestion.

This Special lssue aims to attract the most exciting advances in the field of Food Science and Nutrition, promoting the high-impact applications of dairy food. Topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Interaction behavior and mechanism of dairy proteins and natural active molecules during food processing/storage or food digestion;
• Characterization of the structure and functions of the protein complexed or conjugated with natural molecules;
• Effect of natural molecules on the nutritional value of dairy proteins or vice versa;
• Newly designed structures using dairy proteins modified with natural molecules that facilitate nutrient delivery, increase stability or assign other features.

Dr. Changhui Zhao
Dr. Xiangyang Li
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Processes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• milk
• dairy protein
• whey
• casein
• interaction
• bioactive molecules