Application of the theory of gelation to enzymatic clotting process of casein micelle solution

Abstract

Dynamic mechanical measurements were carried out to clarify the mechanism of the clotting process of casein micelle solution. It was found that the clotting process of casein micelle solution was formally expressed by a first order reaction. The enzyme concentration dependence of the latent time t_L and the rate constant of gelation Kg were found to be t_L ^∞ [E]^−1.1 and K_g ^∞ [E]^1.0, respectively. These results were interpreted on the basis of the theory of gelation. The results obtained here were found to agree with the theoretical conjectures. The casein micelle concentration dependence of the complex rigidity was also studied.