ADIP JHAVERI, SHALINI S. ARYA*
*Corresponding author
Institute of Chemical Technology, Food Engineering and Technology Department
NM Parikh Marg, Matunga, Mumbai, 400 019, India

Abstract

Lactoferrin is an 80kDa glycoprotein and belongs to the well known iron-binding transferrin family. It is expressed in various secretions in the body and is highly present in milk and colostrums. It has a wide range of activities and is vital for various physiological processes of the body. During the past decade several applications of lactoferrin have been discovered which has led to its commercial production. Chromatographic and membrane separation techniques are most widely used with slight modifications for large scale production. market as functional food ingredient for Product formulations.

ABBREVATIONS

Lf-Lactoferrin, LPS-lipopolysaccharide, BCG- Bacillus Calmette–Guérin, MTB- Mycobacterium Tuberculosis, MRSA- Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, NK- Natural Killer, CM- Carboxymethyl, SP- sulfopropyl, UHT- Ultra-high temperature processing, NSCLS – Non-small-cell lung carcinoma.

INTRODUCTION
Lactoferrin (Lf) is a glycoprotein belonging to the transferrin family whose primary function is to maintain the cellular level of iron by virtue of its iron binding properties (1). Milk is the richest source of Lf (1). The highest amount of Lf can be found in colostrums (1, 2). It is also present in various secretions in mammalian species (vaginal, nasal, bronchial, saliva, semen, gastrointestinal fluids and urine) and in secondary granules of neutrophils (2).
Lf, known as the red protein present in milk was initially discovered because of its characteristic ability to produce an intense red colour when incubated in present of Fe⁺³ ions (3,4), has presented  itself as an avid subject of structural and functional studies since its discovery. It was assumed to b ...