The heat stability of milk and concentrated milk containing added aldehydes and sugars

Invited review: Heat stability of milk and concentrated milk: Past, present, and future research objectives

The ability of milk and concentrated milk to withstand a defined heat treatment without noticeable changes such as flocculation of protein is commonly denoted as heat stability. A heat treatment that exceeds the heat stability limit of milk or concentrated milk, which has a much lower heat stability, may result in undesired changes, such as separation of milk fat, grittiness, sediment formation, and phase separation. Most laboratory-scale batch heating methods were developed in the early 20th century to simulate commercial sterilization, and these methods have since been standardized. Heat stability studies have been motivated by different objectives during that time, addressing different processing issues and targets in the framework of available technology, legislation, and consumer demand. Although milk hygiene has improved during the last couple of decades, rendering milk less sensitive to coagulation, different standard methods suffered from poor comparability of results, even when comparing results for the same milk sample, indicating that unknown procedural steps affect heat stability. The prediction of heat stability of concentrated milk from the heat stability results of the corresponding unconcentrated milk for rapid quality testing purposes has been difficult, mainly due to different experimental conditions. The objective of this study is to review literature on heat stability, starting from studies in the early 20th century, to summarize the vast number of studies on compositional aspects of milk affecting heat stability, and to lead the way to the most recent work related to compositional changes in concentrates produced by membrane concentration and fractionation, respectively. Particular attention is paid to early and most recent developments and findings, such as the application of kinetic models to predict and limit protein aggregation to assess and describe heat stability as a temperature-time-total milk solids continuum.

Milk utilization and manipulation of composition in the future

Milk composition varies greatly throughout the year, due largely to the effects of the diet of the cow and the stage of lactation. Whilst such variations go unremarked with bottled and cartoned milk, they are of major importance to manufacturers who use milk as a raw material. The most obvious example is when the yield of a dairy product is affected, e.g. in Scotland, the volume of milk required to produce 1 kg butter varies between 21.1 and 23.3 1 at different times of the year.

In addition, however, some of the more subtle changes in milk composition either affect product quality, e.g. the ease with which butter may be spread, or cause processing difficulties, e.g. instability during heating processes. This paper reviews some of our current knowledge on the relationship between milk composition and the properties of some dairy products — butter, whipping cream, Cheddar cheese, ultra-heat treated milk and full-cream evaporated milk. The aim is to identify those milk components that affect each product or process and then enquire how milk composition may be altered to effect improvements — whether at the farm by dietary manipulation or at the creamery by technological adjustment.

It is believed that all the evidence indicates that, despite difficulties due to restrictive legislation, the answer must lie at the creamery. The farmer should concentrate on producing desirable milk solids at the lowest possible cost and leave the technologist to do the fine tuning that leads to improved products.

Some aspects of the ethanol stability of caprine milk

Caprine skim-milk exhibits markedly lower ethanol (EtOH) stability than bovine skim-milk but can still be characterized by a sigmoidal pH profile. As with bovine milk, the position of this profile along the pH-axis was found to be sensitive to available Ca levels. Manipulation of salt levels, either by serum interchange, addition or diminution did not result in any significant increase in the EtOH stability high pH asymptote, Smax, and reduction of the colloidal calcium phosphate of caprine milk also had no significant effect. EtOH stability/pH profiles similar to those of bovine milk were achieved only by chemical modification of the caprine milk protein by reaction with aldehydes and anhydrides. It is concluded that the low EtOH stability of caprine milk as compared with bovine milk is due to the different proportions of the individual caseins present, in particular the lack of an αsl-casein homologue in caprine milk.

Heat stability of milk: synergic action of urea and carbonyl compounds

Urea stabilizes milk to heat only in the presence of a carbonyl compound, such as a reducing sugar. Low molecular weight carbonyl compounds can increase stability in the absence of urea whereas larger molecules, e.g. hexoses and reducing disaccharides, cannot. However, the efficacy of all carbonyl compounds is increased considerably in the presence of urea. Aldehydes and ketones of similar molecular weights appear to be equally effective stabilizers. The optimum concentration of lactose in milk for stability was approximately 1% irrespective of urea concentration within the range 5–20 mM. However, modifying the lactose content of concentrated milks (approximately 8.5% protein) had little effect on heat stability.

Heat stability of milk: the mechanism of stabilization by formaldehyde

The increase produced by formaldehyde (HCHO) in the heat stability of milk did not occur when milk was treated with HCHO at temperatures up to 60°C followed by dialysis at 5°C. However, the minimum in the heat coagulation time (HCT)–pH curve was irreversibly removed if the milk was preheated at 80–C for 10 min in the presence of 5 mM-HCHO. Although this treatment blocked the ε-amino groups of lysyl residues, the stabilizing mechanism is considered to be due to the cross linking action of HCHO which reduced the level of non-sedimentable, κ-casein-rich protein dissociated from the micelles on heating. The specific crosslinking agent, dimethyl suberimidate, modified the HCT-pH profile of milk in a manner similar to preheating at 80°C for 10 min with 5 mM-HCHO, supporting the crosslinking hypothesis. The results of this study appear to lend some support to the proposal of Kudo (1980) that the minimum in the HCT-pH curve of milk is due to the dissociation of κ-casein from the micelles on heating at high temperatures at pH values greater than 6η7.

The synergic effect of urea and aldehydes on the heat stability of concentrated skim-milk

When urea is added to concentrated skim-milk (22·5% total solids) no increase in heat stability is observed. However, a similar addition of urea to concentrate stabilized with aldehyde brought about a significant further increase in heat stability. Urea can further stabilize concentrated skim-milk only when aldehyde addition has brought about a change in coagulation mechanism from the normal 2-stage process to a single-stage coagulation. These results can be related to the 2 coagulation mechanisms observed in unconcentrated milks.

Factors affecting the ethanol stability of bovine milk: V. Effects of chemical modification of milk protein

The effect of chemical modification of milk protein on the ethanol (EtOH) stability of skim-milk has been investigated. Modification of lysine residues by reaction with anhydrides increased the EtOH stability whereas amidation of carboxyl groups destabilized the milk. Lysine modification also counteracted destabilization induced by Ca2+addition. By using multiple linear regression techniques these latter effects can be accounted for in terms of the changes they bring about in micellar charge. These results provide a further verification and an extension of the previously proposed mechanism for EtOH-induced coagulation of skim-milk.

Effect of concentration by ultrafiltration on the heat stability of skim-milk

An examination has been made of the heat stability characteristics of skim-milk concentrate prepared by ultrafiltration (UF). Concentrate prepared by UF was found to be more stable than that prepared by conventional evaporation. In contrast to conventional concentrate, the heat stability of UF concentrate was not appreciably affected by forewarming or addition of permitted stabilizers, but the effect of addition of urea was generally the same for both UF and conventional concentrates; an increase in heat stability was obtained if the milk total solids level was less than 14%. As with conventional concentrate, addition of simple aldehydes induced large increases in the heat stability of UF concentrate. It is suggested that a novel range of sterile milk products could be prepared from UF concentrates. Because of the high protein and low lactose contents of these concentrates, the products might be nutritionally more attractive than those prepared from conventional concentrates.

Influence of 2-mercaptoethanol on heat stability of concentrated whey-protein-free milk and formation of soluble casein

The heat coagulation time (HCT) of concentrated whey-protein-free (WPF) milk measured at 120 and 130 °C was reduced toby addition of 5–20 mM-2-mercaptoethanol (ME). However, although the amount of soluble casein formed on heating was doubled by addition of ME, the shape of the HCT–pH profile was affected only slightly. The proportion of κ-casein in the soluble casein from heated concentrated WPF milk containing ME was very high, though it was somewhat lower than that of the soluble casein from heated concentrated WPF milk containing no ME. No solubilization of colloidal Ca phosphate was observed in either unheated or heated concentrated WPF milk on addition of ME. These facts suggest that ME probably promotes the formation of soluble casein with release of κ-casein from micelles on heating, thus destabilizing the casein micelles.

Effect of homogenization on the heat stability of milk

The effect of homogenization on the heat stability characteristics of milk was examined. The heat stability of homogenized milk, as determined by the time taken for protein clots to form when heated at 140 °C, was reduced with increasing pressure in the range 3·5–34·5 MPa. The heat stability of homogenized milks was greater for samples obtained in the summer months than for those obtained in the winter. The general destabilizing effect of homogenization could be partly offset by 2-stage homogenization (20·7 MPa followed by 3·5 MPa), addition of phosphate stabilizers (0·08% w/v) or homogenization at a high temperature (65 °C). Whilst homogenized and unhomogenized milks reacted similarly to the addition of Ca, phosphate stabilizers, sulphydryl-blocking and oxidizing agents, the effects of season, addition of urea or formaldehyde were different for homogenized milk.

Natural variations in the average size of bovine casein micelles: III. Studies on colostrum by electron by microscopy and light scattering

Bovine casein micelles in pre- and post-partum colostrum have been characterized by both electron microscopy and light scattering. Attempts have been made to relate the changes in average micelle size to the partitioning of Ca and inorganic orthophosphate betwen the colloidal and aqueous phases. Pre-partum colostrum, and to a decreasing extent post-partum colostrum, contain casein micelles several microns in diameter. These giant micelles often contain closed cavities suggesting that they are formed by aggregation of particles comparable in size to normal casein micelles. Electron microscopy of mammary gland alveoli from nearterm pregnant heifers shows clear differences in average size between micelles immediately before and after secretion from Golgi vesicles. It appears that micelles aggregate in the alveolar lumen, possibly as a result of continuing co-precipitation of casein with Ca phosphate.

Effect of selected amides on heat-induced changes in milk

The effect of 15 amides and related compounds on the heat stability of milk was investigated; of these urea, biuret, triuret, methyl urea and ethyl urea had a similar stabilizing effect. These 5 compounds reacted with lysine to form a ninhydrin-positive compound, possibly homocitrulline, and with lactose produced Maillard-type browning, but some of the other compounds studied were also capable of participating in one or both of these reactions. The only effect which the 5 stabilizing amides had in common and which the other compounds did not share was a significant pH-buffering capacity in synthetic systems and in milk. It is suggested that urea exercises its stabilizing influence in milk principally through its ability to buffer the pH of the system during heating.

Thermal denaturation and coagulation of whey proteins: effect of sugars

The thermal coagulation of unfractionated whey proteins was inhibited by various sugars. The disaccharides, sucrose and lactose, were most effective, and the amino sugar, glucosamine, least effective in this respect. Ultraviolet absorption and light-scattering measurements on the thermal denaturation and coagulation of both unfractionated and individual whey proteins (alpha-lactalbumin, beta-lactoglobulin, and bovine serum albumin) showed that sucrose promotes the denaturation of these proteins but inhibits their subsequent coagulation. These results are interpreted in terms of the effect of sucrose on the hydrophobic interactions between solvent and protein.

Heat stability of milk: influence of modification of lysine and arginine on the heat stability-pH profile

Several dicarbonyl compounds (glyoxal, substituted glyoxals, diacetyl and 1, 2-cyclohexanedione) had a marked stabilizing effect on the heat stability of milk, especially in the presence of urea. These reagents are believed to modify arginine more or less specifically suggesting an important role for arginine residues in heat stability. In contrast, modification of lysine residues with dansyl chloride, acetic anhydride or cyanoborohydride had little effect on maximum heat stability although it did alter the HCT-pH profile. Since diacetyl is a natural constituent of fermented milks and cheese, it may be acceptable as an additive to increase the heat stability of milk.