Method to assess the quality of casein used as superplasticizer in self-levelling compounds

A fast and accurate method of assessing the quality of casein superplasticizer is presented. The method is based on analysis of the content of α-, β- and κ-casein proteins contained in whole casein by ion exchange fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC). The chromatographic profiles of six commercial casein samples were determined, revealing that the amount of κ-casein present in the biopolymer is the main assessment criteria for the quality of casein. For high dispersing effectiveness, the content of κ-casein needs to be high. The reason is that at pH ~ 12, a high content of κ-casein results in submicelles possessing smaller size (diameter ~ 10 nm), as was proven by dynamic light scattering measurement (DLS). These smaller submicelles are supposed to adsorb on cement in higher amount than large submicelles. Using this FPLC method, the dispersing performance of any casein sample can be determined very quickly without physical testing of mortar.