BIOCHEMISTRY OF MILK

PROCESSING
 INTRODUCTION
 Milk - complex system where continuous phase is an aqueous
solution.

 Lipids & casein are dispersed in the solution.

 Lipids - small globules & casein - larger micelles.

 Fat globules are less dense than aqueous phase & hence float on
the surface forming cream.

 Fat depleted lower layer - skimmed milk / whey.

 Fat rich cream - butter, ghee, etc.,

 Skimmed milk - consumption, milk beverages.

 Creaming - undesired in many products - homogenization.

 Casein micelles can be destabilized by proteolysis &

acidification.

 Milk is heat stable & can be sterilized by heat.

 Also, it is a rich medium for the growth of microorganisms

and can be fermented for production of a variety of products.
 MILK PROCESSING

 Thermal processing

 Evaporation and drying

 Fermentation

 Whey processing
 THERMAL PROCESSING

 Primary objective - inactivation of micro organisms.

 Secondary objective - inactivation of enzymes.

 Most widely used thermal process -pasteurization.

 Pasteurization
 LTLT Pasteurization (62° C - 65° C / 30 min.)
 HTST Pasteurization (72° C - 74° C / 15 min.)

 Ultra high temperature process (UHT)

 135° C - 140° C / 3 - 5 seconds
 HEAT INDUCED CHANGES IN MILK
PROCESSING
 Casein - very resistant to temperatures generally used for processing
milk.

 Severe heating at 140 °C for a prolonged time causes

 Dissociation & aggregation of micelles.
 Coagulation.

 Whey proteins are susceptible to heat processing.

 Β-lactoglobulin denaturation exposes sulphydryl disulphide chains .

 This results in its interaction with other milk proteins form whey -
casein complexes.

 This affects the technological properties of milk.

 FACTORS AFFECTING HEAT STABILITY OF
MILK
 pH - type A & type B
 Alcohol
 Reducing agents
 Sulphydryl blocking agents.

EFFECTS OF SEVERE HEATING ON CASEIN

Dephosphorylation

Deamination

Cleavage & formation of covalent crosslinks

All these leads to protein - protein interaction & hence thermal

instability.
 STABILITY OF UHT MILK ON STORAGE

 UHT milk is stable in long-term storage at ambient

temperatures.

 Limitation - reduction in shelf life by age gelation.

 Age gelation - a progressive increase in the viscosity of the

milk leading to formation of a gel which cannot be replaced.
 HEAT INDUCED CHANGES IN LACTOSE
 Degradation  acids

 Isomerization  lactulose

 Production  furfural

 Maillard reaction  interaction with amino acids of other proteins.

 Degradation results in reduction in the pH of the milk.

 Maillard rxn. Lactose / lactulose reacts with amino groups (Lys) leading
to a complex series of reactions resulting in the formation of various
Maillard products, melanoidins.
 Results of Maillard reaction :
 Browning
 Flavour change
 Loss of nutritive qlty.

 Moderate heating of milk causes isomerization of lactose to

lactulose.

 Lactulose - disaccharide, bifidogenic & laxative.

 INACTIVATION OF ENZYMES ON
HEATING OF MILK
 Heat treatment inactivates various enzymes (indigenous &
endogenous).

 Enzyme inactivation
 Increases milk stability
 Considered as an index of heat treatment.

 Alkaline phosphatase - indicator of Pasteurization.

 Inactivation kinetics - closely approx. to that of Mycobacterium

tuberculosis.

 Negative result in phosphatase test - Pasteurization complete.

 Lactoperoxidase - indicator of over Pasteurization.

 Alkaline milk proteinase - plasmin - more resistant to
Pasteurization.

 Its activity increases during storage of Pasteurized milk.

 UHT treatment inactivates palsmin.

 Bacterial enzymes - considered significant.

 Lipases & proteases are produced by Pseudomonas spp. during

growth in refrigerated milk.

 Pasteurization kills the bacterium but the enzymes remain

unaffected.

 This causes deterioration of products made using such milk.