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Due to health benefits of proteins, the demand for protein beverages has grown rapidly. Translucent protein drinks with neutral pH may have advantages over acidic beverages that may cause dental erosion, and skim milk powder (SMP) is an affordable protein ingredient. Dissociating casein micelles by calcium chelators is a well-known method to reduce SMP dispersion turbidity, but much is to be studied for physicochemical properties as affected by chelator type and concentration. The objective of the present study was to characterize physicochemical properties of dispersions with 5% (wt/vol) SMP after addition of 0 to 30 mM sodium tripolyphosphate, trisodium citrate, or sodium hexametaphosphate. The turbidity was decreased with increasing chelator concentration, with the lowest turbidity observed in the SMP dispersions with sodium hexametaphosphate. The smallest hydrodynamic diameter was observed at an intermediate chelator concentration, resulting from the balance of casein micelle dissociation and aggregation of dissociated caseins induced at an elevated ionic strength. Heating at 90°C for 5 min increased turbidity but lowered hydrodynamic diameter of SMP dispersions, with some exceptions. The morphology of SMP dispersions differed for each chelator and was also affected by chelator concentration and heating. Trisodium citrate was the most effective to demineralize colloidal calcium phosphate in casein micelles, but the amount of dissolved calcium was not directly correlated with the decreased turbidity, indicating different chelating mechanisms by each chelator. Analysis of serum calcium and phosphorus concentrations also suggested that the type and concentration of soluble and insoluble calcium phosphates and their partitioning in the serum and casein micelles were dynamically changed by the studied parameters to affect dispersion turbidity and structures of casein micelles. Findings from the present study may be used to formulate translucent beverages incorporating SMP and other casein micelle ingredients.

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