Preparation of fresh cheese from caprine milk as a model for the reduction of allergenicity.
Fresh cheese was prepared from caprine milk by isoelectric precipitation as a model experiment for reducing the allergenicity of milk. After acidic precipitation of casein, the beta-lactoglobulin content in curd was determined by ELISA using monoclonal antibody (MAb-beta209). The beta-lactoglobulin content was very high in the fresh cheese obtained from heat-treated (85 degrees C) bovine or caprine milk, while that obtained from untreated milk contained none of this protein. Taking it into account that caprine milk has only a small amount of alpha(s1)-casein, one of the major bovine milk allergens, the caprine fresh cheese sterilized after processing by precipitation may be useful as a protein source of low allergenicity.