Immune-boosting and nutraceutical applications of whey protein: Current trends and future scope

ABSTRACT

The integral relationship between diet and health is well established now these days;therefore the proper utilization of nutrient-rich residues from food industries for designing the value added products, is the basic target for the modern food industry. Whey, is an important dairy industry waste and has been categorized to be admirable nourishment with an assortment of bioactive components. Whey protein comprises 20% of total milk protein provides a biological activity that surpasses the properties of superior quality amino acids. These proteins are one of the very few ingredients shown to modulate immune function in both in-vitro cell culture studies and in-vivo animal models. Whey proteins have proved beneficial against a wide spectrum of life threating diseases like cancer, diabetes, hypertension, obesity etc. This protein is also very useful for the recovery of exercise-injuries or skin diseases from radiations. Apart from health beneficial effects, it has several functional activities like fat replacer and emulsifier. This valuable protein is proving to be an immune-nutrient and its dietary interference to tackle life threating disease like cancer or viral diseases like COVID-19. © 2021, Narendra Publishing House, Delhi, India.