Characteristics

of Milk

Res. Assist, DVM Bahar ONARAN

Ankara University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
Department of Food Hygiene and Technology
Physical and chemical properties of milk;

 Density  Surface tension

 Non-fat Dry Matter  Viscosity
 pH  Electrical conductivity
 Acidity  Optical properties
 Freezing point  Flavour
 Boiling point
Density

 Density is defined as an object’s mass divided by it’s

volume.
 The density of milk products can be used to convert
volume into mass and mass into volume, to estimate the
amount of solids present in milk, and to calculate other
physical properties.
 The density of milk varies within the range of
 1028 to 1032 kg /m3 at 20°C.
Density is dependent on:

 The temperature at the time of measurement

 Temperature history of the material
 Composition of the milk (fat,solid and water content)
 İnclusion of air (a complication with more viscous
products)
NON-FAT DRY MATTER

 DRY MATTER  THE RESIDUE left when water and gases

are removed is called
the dry matter (DM) or total solids content of the milk.
 DRY MATTER (DM) 12.5 %
 FAT 3.5 %
 NON-FAT DRY MATTER (NFDM) 9 %
Acid-base equilibria

 Both titratable acidity and pH are used to measure milk

acidity.
 There are many components in milk which provide a
buffering action.
 The major buffering groups of milk are caseins and
phosphate.
pH

 Is expressed as the concentration of hydrogen ions.

 it is a measure of ionized acids present in milk and it
reveals the intensity of acidity.
 Fresh milk has pH of 6.6-6.8.
 The pH can be measured by using pH meter or
colorimetric methods.
 The casein in milk forms into a curd at a pH of 4.6.
pH of 4.6 ??

 As the isoelectric point (IEP) of the protein and is

generally the pH at which the protein is least soluble.
 For casein, the IEP is approximately 4.6 and it is the pH
value at which acid casein is precipitated.
 In milk, which has a pH of about 6.6, the casein micelles
have a net negative charge and are quite stable.
pH of 4.6 ?? (milk products)

 During the addition of acid to milk, the negative charges on

the outer surface of the micelle are neutralized (the
phosphate groups are protonated), and the neutral protein
precipitates.
 The same principle applies when milk is fermented to curd.
 The lactic acid bacteria produces lactic acid as the major
metabolic end-product of carbohydrate [lactose in milk]
fermentation.
 The lactic acid production lowers the  the pH of  milk to the
IEP of casein. At this pH, casein precipitates.
Titratable acidity

 It is a measure of acids present in 100 ml of milk.

 It is the amount of alkali required to bring the pH to neutrality.
 This property of milk is used to determine bacterial growth
during fermentations, such as cheese and yogurt making, as well
as compliance with cleanliness standards.
 Naturally, there is no lactic acid in fresh bovine milk, however,
lactic acid can be produced by bacterial contamination.
 The titratable acidity forms due to the casein and phosphates.
Developed acidity

 It is lactic acid contents due to lactic acid fermentation.

 The organism causing the reaction is Lactococcus lactis.

 The normal TA% ranges from 0.16-0.18 % LA.

 Higher acidity i.e. ˃ 0.18 % indicates lower keeping quality
of milk.
Significants of the TA% test:
 Milk with a high percent of acid means
 it contains a large number of bacteria which get into the
milk through either:
A- Poor sanitary conditions i.e lack of care and cleanliness.
B- Milk has been subjected to improper cooling
(if the storage temperature exceeds 4◦C).
 TA% is valuable for use as guide in the manufacturing
operations and for measuring the quality of dairy
products.
Freezing Point
 The freezing point of milk is lower than the freezing point
of water because of the dissolved components in milk.
 Measuring the freezing point is used as a legal standard to
determine if milk has been diluted with water.
 The freezing point of milk is usually in an average of
about -0.555° C.
 When water is added to the milk, the salts dissolved in the
serum are diluted and the F.P is raised.
Factors affecting the Freezing point in milk:

 Acidity of the milk: an increase in the acidity of the milk

results in a lower freezing point, because the colloidal
minerals dissolved by the acid and this increase the
solutes in the milk.
 Preservatives: Preservatives added to the milk will
increase the materials held in solution which tends to
lower F.P.
 Species of animal: The F.P. of milk differs between
species of animal and this depends upon the amount of
lactose and ash in the milk of each species.
Boiling point

 Milk is slightly heavier than water, and since the boiling

point of a liquid is influenced by factors responsible for its
specific gravity, milk boils at a temperature slightly above
that of water.
 Water boils at 100ºC at sea level and average milk boils at
100.17ºC.
Surface tension
 At the surface of liquids there is a force which tends to
contract that surface.
 The force is seen in falling drops which assume a spherical
shape thus bringing the ratio of surface to volume to a mininum
value.
 This force is known as surface tension.
 The surface tension is measured in terms of the force per unit
length and generally is reported in dynes per centimeter.
 Surface tension of milk is about 52 dyne/cm.
 The addition of substances to water may cause an increase or a
decrease in surface tension.
Viscosity

 Viscosity is the quantity that describes a fluid's resistance to

flow.
 Viscosity of water is 1.0 and the viscosity of milk is 1.5-4.2.
 The increase in viscosity is due to the fat and the protein
primarily the casein.
 Changing in viscosity depending on the fat rate is due to the
fat globules have different sizes.
Viscosity
Temperature:
 cooler temperatures increase viscosity due to the increased
voluminosity of casein micelles
 temperatures above 65° C increase viscosity due to the
denaturation of whey proteins

pH:
an increase or decreases in pH of milk also causes an increase
in casein micelle voluminosity.
Electrical conductivity

 is mainly due to its soluble salt fraction.

 Lactose does not conduct current, and fat decreases
conductivity.
 The contribution of proteins and peptides is of minor
importance.
Electrical conductivity

 pH decrease causes hydrogenation of monohydrogen

phosphate ions to dihydrogen phosphate ions, which have
lower molar conductivity.
 Thus, addition of lactic acid to a phosphate buffer solution
(pH 6.5) decreases conductivity.
 Fermentation of lactose to lactic acid sharply increases
conductivity.
Optical properties
 Optical properties provide the basis for many rapid,
indirect methods of analysis such as proximate analysis by
infrared absorbency or light scattering.
 Optical properties also determine the appearance of milk
and milk products.
 Light scattering by fat globules and casein micelles causes
milk to appear turbid and opaque.
Optical properties

 Light scattering occurs when the wave length of light is

near the same magnitude as the particle.
 Thus, smaller particles scatter light of shorter wavelengths.
 Skim milk appears slightly blue because casein micelles
scatter the shorter wavelengths of visible light (blue) more
than the red.
 The carotenoid precursor of vitamin A, ß -carotene,
contained in milk fat, is responsible for the ‘opaque' colour
of milk.
 Riboflavin imparts a greenish colour to whey.
Appearance

 The opacity of milk is due to its content of suspended

particles of fat, proteins, and minerals.
 The color varies from white to yellow depending on the
carotene content of the fat.
 Skim milk is more transparent and has a slightly bluish
color.
Flavor of milk:
 The term flavor means a combination of both taste and
odour of milk.
 Odour: Freshly drawn milk has a characteristic although not
pronounced odor.
 The odor of milk disappears when the milk is allowed to
stand a few hours or following cooling or following aeration.
 Smelling of the milk is important for detection of any
abnormal odor or any spoilage.
Flavor of milk:

 Taste: Freshly drawn milk tastes slightly sweet to most

people and the pleasing taste of milk may be correlated
with a high lactose and relatively low chloride content.
 A low lactose and high chloride content probably would
mean milk with salty taste.
 At the end of the lactation period the milk produced by a
cow often has such a salty taste, also mastitic milk has a
salty taste.
Refractive index (RI)

 is normally determined at 20° C with the D line of the

sodium spectrum.
 The refractive index of milk is 1.3440 to 1.3485 and can
be used to estimate total solids.