Milk Enzymes  This page briefly describes the general properties
of enzymes present in milk. Enzymes are proteins that have
biological functions. Milk enzymes come from several sources:
the native milk, airborne bacterial contamination, bacteria that
are added intentionally for fermentation, or in somatic cells
present in milk. For more details on milk enzymes see references
by Farkye (2003), Fox and McSweeney (1998), Pruitt (2003), and
Whitney (1988).  Each enzyme has a specific site of action on
its target molecule, and optimal conditions (pH and
temperature). There are a large number of enzymes in milk and
the functions of many are not well-defined. It should be noted
that the enzymes in milk do not make a major contribution to the
digestion of milk in humans, which is accomplished by enzymes in
the human stomach and small intestine.  Lipases are enzymes that
degrade fats. The major lipase in milk is lipoprotein lipase. It
is associated with the casein micelle. Agitation during
processing may bring the lip