Role of protein aggregation in heat-induced heat stability during milk powder manufacture

Although the inherent heat stability and the processes leading to the heat-induced coagulation of milk and reconstituted milk powders have been studied extensively, the processes that lead to heat-induced heat stability are less well established. An investigation has been undertaken into the effects of standardization with milk permeate or lactose and the heat-stabilization of milk powders. Standardized and unstandardized milk powders were produced in spring and autumn to determine seasonal effects on their heat stability. Other standardized powders were produced using a range of preheat treatments (85 °C/1800 s, 120 °C/120 s, and 140 °C/5 s) to evaluate the effects of preheat treatment and standardization on the heat stability of milk powders. Micelle size and the soluble aggregates formed during the preheat treatment were characterized by a combination of size-exclusion chromatography and SDS-PAGE. The heat stability of the powders was evaluated in a bench-scale model of retorted recombined evaporated milk manufacture. As has been generally accepted, the heat stability may be mediated by the way in which the milk responds to the preheat treatment given during milk powder manufacture. However, we have found that causing the denaturation of the whey proteins in itself, as is indicated by analytical measures such as the whey protein nitrogen index (WPNI) is not sufficient to impart heat stability. Our work suggests that milks with good heat stability are achieved by heating to give a low WPNI and a balance of moderately sized soluble aggregates and a decrease in the proportion of smaller micelles. The formation of these aggregates is influenced by the heating regime applied and varies at different times of year.