A brief history of casein micelles: On the origin of models

The casein micelles are colloidal particles found in the milk of mammalian species. They contain caseins coupled with milk salts, in particular calcium and phosphate. Although intensely studied, the structure of the casein micelles in bovine milk is not known with certainty, although numerous models have been proposed. This review on casein micelle structural models is divided into two sections. The first section provides a historical review of the key pieces of information about caseins and casein micelles that was required in order to propose models for the casein micelle structure. The second section sequentially reviews the models of the casein micelles from the first structure proposed in 1958 to those of the present day. A final section is included, which gives a brief opinion as to whether we are at a consensus on the structure of the casein micelles, and whether the latest models adequately explain the properties of the natural casein micelles in milk.