Contribution of Protein Flexibility to the Foaming Properties of Casein

The effect of biopolymer flexibility on the foaming properties of casein was investigated. Flexibility was altered by: (1) chemical modification (covalent binding of a monosaccharide on the lysyl residues) or (2) pH change. Electron Spin Resonance was used to measure the reorientational frequency of casein residues labeled with nitroxide radicals. High levels of glycosylation induced increased protein flexibility and improved the foaming capacity. Good agreement was observed between higher values of flexibility and improved surface properties near the isoelectric point.