Lactalbumin Hydrolysate

Lactalbumin hydrolysate is a pancreatic digest of lactalbumin recommended for use in culture media for tissue culture, production of lactobacilli, virus, vaccines, fermentations and special diets. Additional uses include preparation of baculovirus medium and as an agar overlay for protein expression.

Alpha-lactalbumin is a whey protein high in the amino acid tryptophan, which the body uses to make the neurotransmitter serotonin. A double-blind study found that supplementing the diet with alpha-lactalbumin helped improve scores on a memory test in people who were vulnerable to experiencing problems with stress. The researchers speculated that the alpha-lactalbumin raised brain serotonin levels in these subjects, which may have improved their tolerance to stress.

Alpha-lactalbumin is used in infant formula to make it more similar to human milk. This whey protein has been demonstrated to have immune-enhancing activities and be useful in sports nutrition products due to its content of branched chain amino acids.

Small acidic protein a-lactalbumin, one of the major protein components of milk, is one of the most extensively investigated Ca2+-binding proteins, which does not belong to the EF-hand family of calcium-binding proteins. It serves as a model for studies of the mechanisms of protein stability, folding and unfolding. a-Lactalbumin acts as a regulatory subunit of galactosyltransferase in lactose synthase, which catalyzes the synthesis of lactose from UDP-galactose and glucose. It represents a classical example of molten globule state at acidic pH and in its apo-form at elevated temperatures.

Alpha-lactalbumin is the second most abundant whey protein component, making up approximately 20 percent to 25 percent of the whey protein. It is the primary protein found in human breast milk. Being high in tryptophan, an essential amino acid, potential benefits of alpha-lactalbumin include sleep regulation and mood improvement under stress. An excellent source of essential amino acids and BCAAs, alpha-lactalbumin is the only whey protein component capable of binding calcium.

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