Camel milk whey powder formulated using thermal (spray-drying process) and non-thermal (ultrasonication) processing methods: Effect on physicochemical, technological, and functional properties

[Display omitted] Whey protein concentrates (WPCs) are gaining importance as a functional ingredient due to their high technological and functional properties and their diverse application in the food industry. In this study, Camel milk whey (CW) was separated from skimmed camel milk, then either spray-dried (SD) at 170, 185 and 200 °C, or treated by ultrasonication (US) (20 kHz) for 5, 10 and 15 min followed by freeze-drying to obtain camel milk whey powder (CWP). The structural analysis of CWP was carried out by Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) which showed no significant difference in the functional groups profile of US samples compared to control and SD samples. US samples showed some degree of crystallinity that was comparable to the control samples, while SD samples exhibited very low degree of crystallinity. The surface morphology, particle size, and surface charge of CWP were evaluated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Zetasizer. The lowest particle size of 215.1 nm with surface charge of −21.6 mv was observed in SD-185 WPC. Moreover, SD samples revealed whiter color compared to the US-treated samples which were having lower L* values (P