Effects of casein and fat content on water self-diffusion coefficients in casein systems: a pulsed field gradient nuclear magnetic resonance study

The water self-diffusion coefficients in casein matrixes were measured using a pulsed field gradient spin-echo nuclear magnetic resonance technique (PFG-SE NMR). The dependence of the water self-diffusion coefficient on the casein concentration and the aqueous phase composition is reported in both a rehydrated native phosphocaseinate dispersion and a concentrated casein retentate. A model has been proposed to explain the different behavior of the water self-diffusion coefficient in the two casein systems. This model demonstrates that the water self-diffusion cannot be simply explained by the water content only. So, taking into account the specific effect of each constituent of the aqueous dispersing phase, the water self-diffusion reduction induced by the casein micelle can be modeled. The effect of fat on the water self-diffusion coefficients was investigated. Anhydrous milk fat-reconstituted retentate samples were used in order to estimate the obstruction effect of fat globules in the modeling process. The dependence of the self-diffusion coefficient of water on the fat and casein content is reported. A general model included the effect of the aqueous phase composition, and the obstruction effects of casein micelles and fat globules were proposed. This model was validated for water self-diffusion coefficients in industrial fatty retentates.