PHYSICAL

PROPERTIES OF MILK

Dr. Hussein Sobhy Abo EL-Makarem

 Content
1. Color of milk
9. Specific gravity of milk
2. Flavor of milk

3. Boiling point of milk 10.Specific gravity of milk serum

4. Reaction of milk 11.Refractive index of milk serum

5. Freezing point of milk 12.Electrical conductivity of milk

6. Foam 13.Surface tension of milk

7. Viscosity of milk

8. Adhesiveness
Importance of physical properties of milk
1. Detection of milk adulteration.
2. Detection of suitability of milk for processing
3. Detection of mastitis
▪ Normally fresh milk have a slightly sweet and

pleasant taste. This is due to a relationship of lactose and

chloride contents.

▪ If chloride becomes greater, as in late lactation period or

mastitis, the flavour is adversely affected and has salty taste.

1.2. Odour:-
Milk has a characteristic, although not pronounced, odour which
disappears when milk is cooled or kept for few hours.

Factors that affect flavour of milk:-

1- The feed of the animal: Turnip, garlic, and onion / or silage will
cause taint flavour.
2- Condition of dairy animal:
* In udder abnormally, cowy or unclean flavour.
* In case of cystic ovary or late lactation period may have a rancid
flavour due to increase of lipase enzyme.
3-Decomposition of one or more constituents: either
microbiologically or chemically may produce abnormal flavour:
flavour defects:-
1- Rancid flavour (Lipolytic or hydrolytic rancidity):-

Milk fat
Lipoprotein Lipase fatty acid + Glycerol

Short chain fatty acid

Butyric acid

❑ LPL can be indigenous or bacterial. ineffective unless the fat globule

membrane is damaged or weakened. This may occur through agitation,

and/or foaming, and pumping.

❑ For this reason, homogenized milk is subject to rapid lipolysis unless lipase
is destroyed by heating.
▪ First; the enzyme (Protein) is denaturized at 55 – 60 oC.
Therefore, milk should be homogenized immediately
before or after pasteurization and avoid mixing new
and homogenized milk because it leads to rapid rancidity.
▪ Some cows can produce spontaneous lipolysis as in late
lactation, mastitis, hay and grain ratio diets, and low
yielding cows are more susceptible.
▪ Lipolysis can be detected by measuring the acid degree value
which determines the presence of free fatty acids. Lipolytic
or hydrolytic rancidity is distinct from oxidative rancidity.
▪ Characterization of rancid flavour:-
Soapy, slightly bitter, foul, pronounced aftertaste.
2 - Oxidized flavour (Oxidation):-
▪ Milk fat oxidation is catalyzed by copper and certain other metals with
oxygen and air. This leads to an auto-oxidation reaction.
▪ Characterization of oxidized flavour:-
Metalic, wet cardboard, oily, tallow, chalky, mouth usually perceives a
stringent feel.
3- Sunlight flavour:
▪ Often confused with oxidized, this defect is caused by UV-rays from
sunlight or fluorescent lighting which catalyzing oxidation in unprotected
milk.
▪ Photo-oxidation activates riboflavin which is responsible for catalyzing the
conversion of methionine to methanol therefore, a protein reaction rather
than a lipid reaction.
▪ Characterization of sunlight flavour:-
Burn or burnt-feather like and medicinal like flavour.
4- Cooked flavour:
▪ This defect is due to heating on certain proteins especially whey proteins.
Whey proteins are a source of sulfide bonds which form sulfhydryl
groups that contribute to the flavour. The effect is most obvious
immediately after heating but disappear within 1 or 2 days.
Characterization of cooked flavour:-
Slightly cooked or nutty like caramelized.
5- Transmitted flavours:-
▪ Feed flavours and green grass can be problems, so it is necessary to remove
cows from feed 2 – 4 hrs before milking.
▪ Weeds, garlic/onion, and dandelions can transfer flavours to the milk and
even subsequent products such as butter.
▪ Barny flavours can be picked up in the milk if there is poor ventilation and the
barn is not properly cleared, and cows breathe the air . These flavours are
volatile so can be driven off through vacuum de-aeration.
Characterization: Hay / silage, cowy / barny.
6-Microbial flavour: due to ( bacteria, yeast or mould).
▪ Sour flavour in raw milk is caused by the growth of lactic acid bacteria
which ferment lactose.
▪ Fruity flavours, in both raw and processed milk, may a rise due to
psychrotrophs such as Pseudomonas fragi.
▪ Bitter or putrid flavours are caused by proteolytic pscychrotrophic
bacteria which produce protease.
▪ Malty flavours are caused by Strept. lactis var. maltigenes and is
characterized by a corn flavour.
▪ Salty flavour: is due to more chloride content in late lactation period
or mastitis.
▪ Fishy flavour due to chemical changes (choline) and in rare cases due to
the presence of Gram-negative rods of various types.
▪ Caramel flavour due to overheating or atypical streptococcus lactis.
2. COLOUR OF MILK:-
Normally, milk has bluish white to yellow colour depending on breed,
species, and feed, amount of fat and total solids in milk.

-White colour, results from the dispersion of reflected light by fat globules
and colloidal particles of casein and Cal. phosphate.

-Yellow colour, is due to the fat-soluble pigment carotene. Grasses and

carrots give milk a deep yellow colour as they contain high carotene content.
Xanothophylls also give some yellow colour.

-Bluish tinge, of skim milk is due to the water-soluble pigment

lactoflavine (Riboflavine). The colour of this pigment does not appear
until fat and casein have been removed as in cheese making.
Colour defects:
1- Blue colour by Pseudomonas cyanogens in presence of acid
(Strept. Lactis) and also in case of: Tuberculous mastitis, decrease of
total solid and decrease of feed of animal.
2- Yellow colour by Sarcina lutea and/or Flavobacterium synxanthins.
3- Red colour:
* Serratia marcensens give Red spots on the surface.
* Micrococcus roseous which give red precipitate
* Brevibacterium erythrogenes give red colour on superficial layer.
4- Greenish colour by Pseudomonas fluorescens in milk held at low
temperature.
3. BOILING POINT OF MILK:-
▪ Water boils at 100 oC, while milk boils at 100.5 oC due to the presence of
solids in milk. Dissolved substances also increase the boiling point of milk.
Significance: - Addition of water lowers the boiling point.
4. REACTION OF MILK-
▪ Normally, Slight acidic reaction due to presence of casein, phosphates,
albumin, carbon dioxide and citrates. Normally, milk has pH 6.6, acidity
percent 0.12 -0.16 with an average 0.14 and acidity degree 12-16 with an
average 14.
Amphoteric reaction of milk:
Fresh milk shows both an acid and alkaline reactions which is due to:
▪ Partly to protein where amino acids having an amino group which is basic and
carboxyl group which is acidic.
▪ Partly to phosphates as some of them are acidic and some basic.
▪ This acidity is not due to lactic acid (Developed) but due to phosphates
of milk proteins Citrates and carbon dioxide present in milk (Natural).

5. FREEZING POINT OF MILK:-

▪ The freezing point of milk It ranges from – 0.53 to - 0.56 oC (average –
0.55 oC).
▪ This test is used for detection of the amount of extraneous water
in a sample of milk.
▪ The addition of water brings the freezing point of milk, closer to zero;
this is due to diminished concentration of lactose and minerals.
▪ The method used for determination of the freezing point
Using Hortvet's cryoscope
Significance of the test:-
Every 0.05 oC degree elevation to the freezing point which is normally – 0.55 oC,
means the addition of 9 % water. If the freezing point of milk is – 0.50 oC. It
means addition of 9 % water to milk.

Effect of freezing on milk constituents;

▪ Freezing alters physical properties of milk and never returns to its original
state.
▪ Fat globules loss their complete emulsion, clustering power and become
irregular in shape and size.
▪ Casein is broken from its existence in milk as calcium caseinate and
precipitates as flakes.
▪ Taste of milk becomes watery.
Significance of the test:-
Every 0.05 oC degree elevation to the freezing point which is normally
– 0.55 oC, means the addition of 9 % water.
If the freezing point of milk is – 0.50 oC. It means addition of 9 % water
to milk.
F - Fo
W= x 100
F
W = Percentage of added water.
F= Freezing point of unadulterated milk (- 0.55 oC)
F0 = Freezing point of the examined sample.
6. FOAM:-
▪ The ability of milk and its products, skim milk and cream, to foam is a
common observation.
▪ In case of whipping cream it is desirable to have stable foam,
▪ but at other times such as filling milk cans, bottles, and separating
milk it is undesirable.

Cause of foam:-
▪ Proteins are the chief cause of foam. They are adsorbed by the
thin film surrounding by an air bubble and this gives stability to the
entrapped air.
▪ The protein content of the foam in skim milk is from 0.12 to 0.63
percent higher than in the skim milk beneath.
Factors affecting foam:-
1- Temperature;
▪ Low temperatures 2 oC to 4 oC favor the formation of the largest volume of foam,
▪ temperatures around 16 oC to 32 oC give the lowest.
2- Pasteurization has no appreciable effect on foaming ability but homogenization
increases it when measured at 4 oC to 27 oC and decreases the amount of foam at 60 oC.
3- Milk fat generally has a depressing effect on foaming and the solids not fat an
augmenting result
4- The phospholipids mainly lecithin: probably acts as a foam breaking substance.
5. In the churning process of cream the agitation: liberates a large part of the lecithin,
which then goes into the buttermilk, and consequently very little foam is present there.
Types of foam:-
There are two types of foam in milk, cream and buttermilk which may appear separately or
simultaneously: One foam appears to be a protein type, the other a phospholipids-
protein type.
7-VISCOSITY OF MILK:-
Viscosity is the resistance of milk to flow. Milk is viscous than
water due to casein, fat and albumin. Viscosity of milk is 2.5
times than water as the viscosity of water is 1.005 centipoise at
20 oC.
Viscosity of milk and milk products is important to determining
the following:-
▪ The rate of creaming.
▪ The flow conditions in dairy process.
❑ Viscosity of milk is determined by VISCOSIMETER and
expressed by Centipoise which equal 1 / 100 of poise.
Factors affecting viscosity of milk:-
▪The viscosity of milk depends on the following:-
1-Temperature:-
▪ Cooler temperatures increase viscosity due to the increased
voluminosity of casein micelles.
▪ Temperatures above 65 oC: decrease viscosity due to the denaturation of
whey proteins.
2- pH: in Sour milk : increase in casein micelle voluminosity.
3-Agitation decrease viscosity.
4-High fat content : increase viscosity.
8- ADHESIVENESS:-

▪Milk has certain adhering properties due to presence of casein

▪Significance: Addition of water decrease adhesiveness
▪ Sp. gr. is the ratio between the weights of a given volume as
compared with an equal volume of some other substances which is
taken as a control.

Normally:-

▪ Whole cow's milk has Sp. gr. 1.032.

▪ Whole buffalo's milk Sp. gr. 1.034.
▪Determination of specific gravity of milk is determined by
LACTOMETER
Calculation:

➢ Temperature: If it is in ºC it should be changed to ºF.

From ºC to ºF: Temperature x 9/5 + 32 = º F

From ºF to ºC: (temperature – 32) x 5/9 =º C

➢ Correction of the lactometer reading (C.L.R.):

Every 1 ºF above ºF, 0.1 is added to L.R. while ,every ºF below 60 º F, 0.1 is
subtracted from L.R.

C.L.R.= L.R. ± (ºF – 60) x 0.1

Example: milk sample has L.R. 29 and milk temperature 25 ºc.

ºF = (25 x 9/5) + 32 = 77 ºF

C.L.R.= 29 + (17 x 0.1)= 29 + 1.7 = 30.7 = 31.

Therefore, the specific gravity of milk sample is :

sp. gr. = 1 + CLR/1000= 1 + 31/1000= 1.031

Significance of the test:-

▪ Addition of water Sp. gr. of milk,

▪ Partial skimming Sp. gr. of milk,

▪ Both types of adulteration = Sp. gr. of milk.

▪ Rich milk with high fat % will has a low Sp. gr. its partial skimming can not

be detected.
10. SPECIFIC GRAVITY OF MILK SERUM:-
* Milk serum is prepared by various ways mainly by:-
1- Coagulation of casein.

2- By natural souring.

3- By addition of acetic acid. WESTPHAL'S BALANCE

4- By the precipitation of the total protein by CuSO4 solution.

Normally, Sp. gr. Of milk serum is 1.026.

Significance of the test:-

* If milk serum sample has a lower Sp. gr., it means addition of water.
Normally:

*Copper sulphate milk serum has 36 Refractive Degree (R. D.),

*Acetic acid milk serum has 40 R. D.

Significance of the test:

*A reading below, 36 R. D. for Copper sulphate milk serum and 40 R. D.

for acetic acid milk serum, indicates addition of water as the Refractive

index of water is 1.33.

 Refractive index of milk serum is determined by

POCKET REFRACTOMETER ZEIS IMMERSION

REFRACTOMETER
12. Electrical conductivity of milk:-
▪ The soluble salts, especially the Chloride in milk dissociate to some extent
into ions which are electrically charged. These ions move about and thereby
conduct electrical current. Their movement is impeded somewhat by the fat
globules and consequently whole milk has a lower conductivity than skim
milk.

▪ Since milk has conductivity, it also has a resistance. The unit of resistance is
Ohm while the Mho, the reciprocal of the Ohm, is the unit of the
conductivity.

▪ The lower the conductivity, the greater of the resistance and vice versa.
▪ Fat and the colloidal dispersed substances obstruct the ions in their
migration and decrease the conductivity.
▪ Milk obtained from infected quarters has higher conductivities as in
case of mastitis the chloride content increases, and the conductivity
is augmented.

Significance of the conductivity:-

1. In normal cow, the conductivity ranges from 40.1 – 49.2 X 104 mho,
2. In mastitis milk, the conductivity ranges from 45.1 - 83.0 X 104 mho.
3. Fresh skim milk and butter have conductivities around 50 X 104 mho
4. for each 0.1 % rise in acidity the conductivity increased about 1 x 104
13-SURFACE TENSION:-
Definition:-
▪ Surface tension is defined as a state of stress at the surface of liquid due
to the attraction of the molecules for each other. It is expressed in dyne. A
dyne is the force that acting on a mass of one gram gives it an acceleration of
one centimeter per second.
▪ The molecules in a liquid are attracted to each other, and this creates a pull
from the surface. Beneath the surface the molecules are surrounded by other
molecules and the attraction is equalized, but at the surface the balance is
broken and a tension results.
▪ The surface tension of water is 72 to 73 dynes.
▪The surface tension of skim milk, whole milk and 30 to 35 percent
cream is 57.4 , 52.3 and 49.6 dynes, , respectively.
Factors affecting surface tension:-
1. Increase in fat and protein content lowers the surface tension of milk.
2. Aging: lowers the surface tension of raw milk slightly but has a tendency
to raise that of pasteurized milk.
3. Pasteurization: increases the surface tension to a small extent.
4. Homogenization: lowers the surface tension.
5. An increase in temperature of milk lowers its surface tension markedly.
6. Coagulation of normal milk will cause an increase of approximately 10
dynes in the surface tension, but after standing several days no appreciate
difference in the normal and coagulated samples of milk appears.
7. The free fatty acids and proteins are surface-active constituents which
cause the surface tension of milk or milk products to be lower in that of
water.
 Effect of adulteration on physical properties of milk:-

Physical properties Addition of water Partial skimming

Boiling point Decrease -

Freezing point Increased -

Specific gravity of milk Decrease Increased

Specific gravity of milk serum Decrease -

Refractive index Decrease -

Viscosity Decrease Decrease

Adhesiveness Decrease Decrease

Electrical conductivity Increased Increased

Surface tension Increased Increased