What is micellar casein and what are its properties?

Micellar casein, also known as phosphocasein, is a casein product that is produced from skim milk and uses a series of filtrations and is dried to form a powder. The casein molecules in milk are not altered through the microfiltration process and thus the structure of the micelles remain intact, and the product is soluble in water. There is currently no standard of identity of micellar casein and the exact composition depends on the manufacturer. The general composition of micellar casein is 86% protein, 4% lactose, 8% ash, 1% fat, and 5% moisture. The casein to whey ratio of micellar casein is typically between 82:18 and 95:5.

Micellar Casein in Ready-To-Drink Beverage Applications

Micellar casein has a bland profile and many functional benefits making it a good choice in protein fortification in ready-to-drink beverages. Micellar casein has excellent nutritional value, wetting and dispersibility capabilities, and excellent heat stability making it the perfect choice for the ultra-high temperature pasteurization of most ready-to-drink shelf stable beverages. Micellar casein works well as an emulsifier to combine ingredients lending itself well to reducing the amount of stabilizers needed in a formulation. Micellar casein is known to be slowly absorbed by the body and is one of the best choices of protein before bed to promote recovery overnight.

Micellar Casein in Baked Good Applications

Micellar casein can be used in baked goods for nutritional fortification and its excellent functional properties. Micellar casein has a bland flavor profile and adds a sweet dairy note to baked goods without the added sugar. Micellar casein can be used to replace part of the flour and sugar in baked goods helping to lower the carbohydrate and fat content of the formula. Micellar casein can be used to limit undesirable browning of a baked good. Micellar casein serves as an emulsifier in a baked good formula and can help to combine ingredients as well as give good crumb structure and an airy feel in the sweet treat. Micellar casein is known to be slowly absorbed by the body and is one of the best choices of protein before bed to promote recovery overnight.

Micellar Casein in Yogurt and Other Fresh Dairy Applications

Micellar casein is very functional in fresh dairy applications. When making yogurt, adding micellar casein helps enhance curd formation and increase the heat stability of the solution during manufacturing. With increased heat stability from the added milk protein, the yogurt can be heated to a high pasteurization temperature helping to denature the whey proteins and increase the water holding capacity of the product. Adding Micellar casein can greatly reduce the amount of syneresis produced in the fresh dairy product overtime improving consumer perspective of the product upon eating. Micellar casein is very bland in flavor profile and helps to create a less tart fresh dairy product, perfect for the average North American consumer.

Why is micellar casein a useful ingredient in my application?

Micellar casein has many desirable characteristics that can be used to create a more nutrient rich and functional product. Micellar casein has a bland flavor profile that works well as a protein rich base for beverages. Micellar casein is heat stable and can withstand heat treatments during the processing of a finished good. Micellar casein has excellent wetting and dispersibility capabilities in solution and helps increase viscosity and improve mouthfeel in a finished good. Micellar casein is a desirable protein source in the body due to its slow and consistent release of nutrients leading to faster recovery times and reduction of muscle deterioration.

Why consider the CasPRO line? What makes ours better?

Micellar casein produced by Milk Specialty Global is 100% US produced casein. Milk Specialties Global uses US produced fresh milk from our local dairy farm partners to produce a pure, clean, high quality casein protein. Milk Specialties Global’s dairy farms have little to no seasonality reducing the variation in casein produced through out the year, resulting in a consistent and high-quality micellar casein ingredient for your application needs.