The gastric digestion behavior of differently processed goat milks was investigated using a dynamic in vitro gastric digestion model, the human gastric simulator. Homogenization and heat treatment of goat milk resulted in gastric clots with highly fragmented structures. They also delayed the pH reduction during digestion, altered the chemical composition of the clots and the emptied digesta, promoted the release of calcium from the clots, and accelerated the hydrolysis and the emptying of milk proteins. The apparent density of the protein particles and the location of the homogenized fat globules changed during the digestion process, as shown in the emptied digesta of the homogenized goat milks. The effects of processing on the digestion behavior of goat milk were broadly similar to those previously reported for cow milk. However, the overall gastric digestion process of goat milk was more affected by homogenization than by heat treatments.

The interactions among the proteins in sheep skim milk (SSM) during heat treatments (67.5-90°C for 0.5-30 min) were characterized by the kinetics of the denaturation of the whey proteins and of the association of the denatured whey proteins with casein micelles, and changes in the size and structure of casein micelles. The relationship between the size of the casein micelles and the association of whey proteins with the casein micelles is discussed. The level of denaturation and association with the casein micelles for β-lactoglobulin (β-LG) and α-lactalbumin (α-LA) increased with increasing heating temperature and time; the rates of denaturation and association with the casein micelles were markedly higher for β-LG than for α-LA in the temperature range 80 to 90°C; the Arrhenius critical temperature was 80°C for the denaturation of both β-LG and α-LA. The casein micelle size increased by 7 to 120 nm, depending on the heating temperature and the holding time. For instance, the micelle size (about 293 nm) of SSM heated at 90°C for 30 min increased by about 70% compared with that (about 174.6 nm) of unheated SSM. The casein micelle size increased slowly by a maximum of about 65 nm until the level of association of the denatured whey proteins with casein micelles reached 95%, and then increased markedly by a maximum of about 120 nm when the association level was greater than about 95%. The marked increases in casein micelle size in heated SSM were due to aggregation of the casein micelles. Aggregation of the casein micelles and association of whey protein with the micelles occurred simultaneously in SSM during heating.

The effect of milk fat globule (MFG) size and species (sheep versus cow) on the lipid and protein compositions of sheep and cow milks was studied. The MFGs in raw cow and sheep milks were separated into six significantly different-sized (1.5-5.5 μm) groups by a gravity-based separation method, and their fatty acids, their lipidomes and the protein compositions of their MFG membranes were determined. The proportions of polar lipids increased but glycoproteins decreased with decreasing MFG size in both sheep milk and cow milk; the fatty acid composition showed few differences among the MFG groups. The average size of each MFG group was comparable between sheep milk and cow milk. Sheep milk contained higher proportions of short-chain fatty acids, medium-chain fatty acids and sphingomyelin than cow milk in all MFG groups. The proportion of glycoproteins was higher in cow MFG membrane than in sheep MFG membrane. The results suggested that the lipid and protein compositions were markedly species and size dependent.

Milk is commonly exposed to processing including homogenization and thermal treatment before consumption, and this processing could have an impact on its digestion behavior in the stomach. In this study, we investigated the in vitro gastric digestion behavior of differently processed sheep milks. The samples were raw, pasteurized (75 °C/15 s), homogenized (200/20 bar at 65 °C)–pasteurized, and homogenized–heated (95 °C/5 min) milks. The digestion was performed using a dynamic in vitro gastric digestion system, the human gastric simulator with simulated gastric fluid without gastric lipase. The pH, structure, and composition of the milks in the stomach and the emptied digesta, and the rate of protein hydrolysis were examined. Curds formed from homogenized and heated milk had much looser and more fragmented structures than those formed from unhomogenized milk; this accelerated the curd breakdown, protein digestion and promoted the release of protein, fat, and calcium from the curds into the digesta. Coalescence and flocculation of fat globules were observed during gastric digestion, and most of the fat globules were incorporated into the emptied protein/peptide particles in the homogenized milks. The study provides a better understanding of the gastric emptying and digestion of processed sheep milk under in vitro gastric conditions.