Partial hydrolysis of whey proteins by enzymes immobilized on an inert support can either change or evidence functional properties of the produced peptides, thereby increasing their applications. The hydrolysis of sweet cheese whey proteins by alcalase, which is multipoint-immobilized on agarose gel, is studied here. A Michaelis-Menten model that takes into account competitive inhibition by the product was fitted to experimental data. The influence of pH on the kinetic parameters in the range 6.0 to 11.0 was assessed, at 50ºC. Initial reaction-rate assays in a pHstat at different concentrations of substrate were used to estimate kinetic and Michaelis-Menten parameters, k and K M. Experimental data from long-term batch assays were used to quantify the inhibition parameter, K I. The fitting of the model to the experimental data was accurate in the entire pH range.
Enzymatic proteolysis; Michaelis-Menten kinetic model; competitive inhibition; whey hydrolysis
