This research investigated the interaction between α-lactalbumin (α-la) and chitosan at different temperatures. Chitosan was added to α-la solution (5 g L^–1) to achieve different α-la/chitosan ratios (8:1, 5:1, and 2:1), which were then subjected to different heating temperatures (20, 70, and 90 °C). The results indicated that a low amount of chitosan (8:1) precipitated α-la molecules. Increasing chitosan to a ratio of 5:1 resulted in exposure of the internal structure of α-la, and those formed complexes had high turbidity and average size, which were decreased by an increasing temperature. A further increase of chitosan to a ratio of 2:1 protected the internal structure of α-la molecules. All samples exhibited a similar adsorption behavior at the air/water interface, but the presence of chitosan significantly increased film elasticity. The produced complexes can be regarded as functional ingredients, which can be used as an emulsifying agent and a delivery material to control the release of bioactive compounds.

中文翻译：

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α-乳清蛋白/壳聚糖配合物的结构和胶体性质随加热变化的特征

这项研究调查了在不同温度下α-乳白蛋白（α-la）与壳聚糖的相互作用。将壳聚糖添加至α-la溶液（5 g L ^–1）以实现不同的α-la/壳聚糖比例（8：1、5：1和2：1），然后将它们置于不同的加热温度（20、70和90°C）下。结果表明少量的壳聚糖（8：1）沉淀出α-la分子。将壳聚糖增加至5：1的比例会导致α-la的内部结构暴露，并且所形成的复合物具有较高的浊度和平均尺寸，并且随着温度的升高而降低。壳聚糖进一步增加至2：1的比例可保护α-1a分子的内部结构。所有样品在空气/水界面均表现出相似的吸附行为，但是壳聚糖的存在显着提高了膜的弹性。产生的复合物可被视为功能成分，