casein

plural caseins · alternative obsolete caseine

1. countableuncountablebiochemistryA protein present in both milk and in the seeds of leguminous plants.

   It’s the clumping nature of the caseins that makes possible most thickened milk products, from yogurt to cheese. The whey proteins play a more minor role; they influence the texture of casein curds, and stabilize the milk foams on specialty coffees.

   2004, Harold McGee, chapter 1, in On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen, Scribner, →ISBN

   1 more example

   Since writing this report, we found that the intravenous injection of nucleoprotein, casein, and probably also other albuminous substances may produce small necroses of liver tissue in the guinea pig. This observation points to a possible danger in the use of casein solutions."

   1913 May 25, “COLLOIDAL COPPER'S VALUE IN CANCER CASES CONFIRMED; […]”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 23 Nov 2025

   Synonyms: legumine