Acid Casein
Acid Casein is the protein curd recovered when skim milk is acidified to the isoelectric point of casein at pH 4.6, causing the casein micelles to collapse and precipitate out of solution.
The dried curd is a granular to powdered material with a minimum protein content typically above 90 percent on a dry basis. It is essentially insoluble in water at neutral pH and serves primarily as a raw material for the manufacture of sodium, calcium, potassium, and ammonium caseinates and for industrial and technical applications.
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- Packaging
- 25 kg kraft paper bag with PE inner liner
- ISO 9001
- HACCP
- Halal
- Kosher
Specifications
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Appearance | White to cream free-flowing powder |
| Protein (dry basis, N×6.38) | ≥90% |
| Moisture | ≤10% |
| Fat | ≤2.0% |
| Ash | ≤2.5% |
| Lactose | ≤1.0% |
| pH (10% sol.) | 4.3–4.8 |
| Free Acid (ml 0.1N NaOH/g) | ≤0.27 |
| Heavy Metals (as Pb) | ≤2 mg/kg |
| Total Plate Count | ≤30,000 cfu/g |
| Coliforms | Negative in 0.1g |
| Salmonella | Absent in 25g |
Common Markets Grades
Standard grades are classified by the acidulant used in precipitation. Hydrochloric acid casein and sulphuric acid casein are the dominant food-grade types. Lactic acid casein, produced by in-situ fermentation of skim milk with lactic acid bacteria, is preferred for some traditional and specialty applications.
Edible food grades meet defined limits for moisture, fat, ash, and lactose, and follow strict microbiological specifications.
Technical and industrial grades are used in adhesives, paper coatings, and other non-food applications and carry looser specifications on colour and microbiological load.
Particle size is controlled through milling. Fine, medium, and coarse mesh cuts are used to match downstream caseinate-production processes or direct food applications.
Applications
- Raw material for sodium, calcium, potassium, and ammonium caseinate production
- Feedstock for casein hydrolysates and casein phosphopeptide manufacture
- Cheese-analog and processed-cheese systems where controlled hydration is desired
- Bakery applications requiring slow protein hydration and crumb structure modification
- Pharmaceutical tablet excipient and clinical nutrition raw material
- Adhesive manufacture for paper, wood, and bottle-label glues
- Paper coatings and specialty paper-making applications
- Cold-glue formulations for case and carton sealing
- Specialty paint and varnish bases in traditional formulations
- Raw material for the historic galalith plastic and modern bio-based polymer research
How We Help Source Acid Casein
Direct Factory Sourcing
We run the whole process: selecting the manufacturer from the top Chinese food ingredient producers, negotiating the price, verifying quality, and coordinating the logistics. You deal with us instead of with several factories at once.
Original Packaging and Documents from the Manufacturer
The manufacturer sends your Acid Casein out of its own factory in the original packing, through to your destination port. The COA, COO, MSDS, TDS and any certifications reach you from the manufacturer as well.
Free Samples and Lead Time
We send 100 to 500 g free for your own laboratory to test and you cover only the courier, usually within 2 to 3 working days. ETD is usually within 7 to 15 days once the order is confirmed, and we check that date against the factory's own manufacturing schedule before we give it to you.
Combined Shipment
We can load Acid Casein together with other ingredients such as Collagen Peptide, Soy Protein Isolate and Fish Collagen Peptide into one 20' FCL. If your quantity is small, we can also ship LCL.
Regulatory Status
Acid casein is recognised as a food ingredient and as a raw material for food-grade caseinates in major regulated markets. In the United States it operates under FDA regulations for casein and caseinates in food applications.
In the European Union, the directive on caseins and caseinates intended for human consumption governs edible caseins and caseinates and sets compositional and microbiological standards. Milk allergen labelling applies in finished products.
Pharmacopoeial monographs for casein support its use as a pharmaceutical excipient and as a clinical-nutrition raw material.
Halal and Kosher certifications are widely available because the precipitating acids and the source milk are compatible with both standards when properly sourced.
Manufacturing Process
Production begins with fresh pasteurised skim milk, usually delivered directly from an adjacent dairy or from short-haul tanker collection.
The skim milk is warmed and acidified to pH 4.6, the isoelectric point of casein. Hydrochloric acid, sulphuric acid, or in-situ lactic-acid fermentation are the three principal acidulation routes, each yielding a slightly different curd character.
At the isoelectric point the casein micelles lose their net charge and aggregate into a soft curd. The curd is separated from the whey by decanter centrifuge or by mechanical dewatering.
The curd is then washed multiple times with fresh water to remove residual whey proteins, lactose, salts, and the precipitating acid. Wash efficiency directly determines ash, lactose, and acid carryover in the finished product.
After washing, the curd is mechanically pressed, dried in a ring or fluid-bed dryer, milled to the target particle size, and packaged. Drying conditions are controlled to preserve the protein's functional behaviour in downstream caseinate production.
