Effects of different calcium salts on properties of milk related to heat stability

Insoluble calcium salts were added to milk to increase total calcium by 30 mM, without changing properties influencing heat stability, such as pH and ionic calcium. There were no major signs of instability associated with coagulation, sediment formation or fouling when subjected to ultra high temperature (UHT) and in‐container sterilisation. The buffering capacity was also unaltered. On the other hand, addition of soluble calcium salts reduced pH, increased ionic calcium and caused coagulation to occur. Calcium chloride showed the largest destabilising effect, followed by calcium lactate and calcium gluconate. Milk became unstable to UHT processing at lower calcium additions compared to in‐container sterilisation.     

Effects of milk pH alteration on casein micelle size and gelation properties of milk

The effects of changes in pH above and below the natural pH of milk (ca 6.6) on the casein micelle size and the gelation properties of the pH adjusted and restored samples were investigated. The size of casein micelles increased at pH 7.0 and 7.5, then started to decrease above pH 8.5. It is postulated that at pH below 8.5 the casein micelles swell, while elevated pH causes their dissociation. Conversely, the size of casein micelles decreased on acidification to pH 5.5 and increased when the pH dropped below 5.5, due to the shrinkage of casein micelles at lower pH before their aggregation at pH below 5.5. In response to neutralising treated milk back to normal milk pH of 6.6, it was found that the casein micelle size of treated milk with a narrow range of pH change between 6.0 and 7.0 was reversible, while beyond this range the structure of casein micelles became irreversible. The restoration of casein micelle size was followed by the restoration of some parameters such as soluble calcium, ethanol stability, and milk whiteness. Acid-induced gelation did not change the elastic modulus, while rennet-induced gelation was affected by initial milk pH. In reference to the size of reversible range elastic modulus (G’) of acid or rennet gels made from restored milk, the sizes were similar to control milk after 6 h of gelation.     

Milk reversibility following reduction and restoration of pH

The pH of skim milk was adjusted from 6.67 to between 6.00 and 5.45 before being restored with NaOH. Ionic calcium was higher after pH restoration but this did not result in instability during indirect ultra high temperature and in‐container sterilisation. Ionic calcium of pH restored milk increased with increased holding time but the pH restored milk remained stable to in‐container sterilisation. The viscosity of the milk was not affected by pH reversal. However, pH‐restoration reduced rennet coagulation time but milk was still stable when subjected to high temperature treatment. Properties of the soluble phase were measured at high temperature by dialysis.     

Heat stability of milk

The heat stability of milk has been the subject of a considerable amount of research for about a century. This research has been aimed mainly at understanding the effects of compositional and processing factors on heat stability and elucidating the mechanisms of protein coagulation. This paper provides an overview of the factors that influence the pH dependence of the heat stability of normal and concentrated milks. The principal heat-induced changes in the milk system that contribute to coagulation are discussed. Current knowledge of the mechanisms of heat coagulation in normal and concentrated milks is also reviewed.     

Naturally occurring variations in milk pH and ionic calcium and their effects on some properties and processing characteristics of milk

Considerable variations were found for ionic calcium and pH in milk from individual cows. Milk with lower pH tended to have a higher Ca²⁺ concentration, although the relationship was weak. Milk samples with a higher Ca²⁺ concentration and lower pH produced less sediment during in‐container sterilisation, which was contrary to expectations. Rennet coagulation time was lower for milk with a higher Ca²⁺ concentration, but curd firmness was not related to Ca²⁺ concentration. There was a poor correlation between the pH reduction caused by acid addition and that resulting from increasing temperature. Sediment formation was related to pH change at high temperature.     

A possible structure of the casein micelle based on high-resolution field-emission scanning electron microscopy

New electron micrographs, produced using the technique of Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy, showing the details of the micellar surface, are presented. The images show the micellar surfaces without any coating, and suggest that the surface of the micelle may have a much more complex structure than has previously been demonstrated. Although there appear to be no spherical subunits (submicelles), there is evidence for the organization of the caseins into tubular structures within the micelle. The surface is not smooth, and contains gaps between the substructures. The observations are discussed in terms of published models of micellar structure, where is it suggested how the depiction of the micellar surface can be used to explain certain factors of its reactivity and behaviour.     

乳蛋白胶粒的稳定性研究及应用

根据蛋白质一级结构原理,选用了一种碱性蛋白质—鱼精蛋白,研究了牛乳蛋白胶粒在适口酸性条件下的稳定性问题。确定出乳蛋白饮料的最佳工艺条件:牛奶含量(v/v)35%,白砂糖12.0%(m/v),柠檬酸含量0.2%(m/v),调酸温度在20℃之内,去离子水定容;以及鱼精蛋白的添加顺序和含量:在调酸前添加稳定效果最佳,含量(m/v)在0.3%即可达到稳定效果。     

Influence of variation in calcium content on casein micelle stability and techno-functional properties of buffalo milk

Changes in techno-functional properties of buffalo milk were evaluated due to variation in calcium content. Decalcification resulted in significant variation in ζ-potential, casein size, colour and η_app. However, calcium addition only influenced ζ-potential of milk. In case of acid gelation, the time and temperature required for coagulation decreased significantly for both calcium-depleted and -added milks. However, during chymosin gelation, only 20%–30% of calcium-depleted milk coagulated with an increased clotting time. Furthermore, calcium addition increased firmness, consistency and cohesiveness of both chymosin and acid-induced gelation.     

酪蛋白胶束结构及其对牛乳稳定性的影响

论述了酪蛋白的组成及两类具有代表性的酪蛋白胶束模型—亚胶束模型和内部结构模型,这两种模型可以较好地解释酪蛋白胶束的稳定性。pH值、酶、添加成分、工艺过程等能够影响酪蛋白胶束的稳定性,并直接影响到牛乳的稳定。这一方面有利于乳制品的生产如制作酸奶、干酪,一方面影响乳制品的品质。     

The measurement and significance of ionic calcium in milk – A review

The measurement of ionic calcium in milk and milk products is of vital importance in understanding the role of calcium in milk. This review compares the methods of measurement including ion equilibration, murexide and ion selective electrodes. Secondly the variations in milk from individual cows and goats, and in bulk milk samples are reviewed. The third section examines the differences in ionic calcium in relation to processing: addition and removal of calcium and other salts, rennet coagulation, miscellaneous influences, filtration and evaporation and drying are all reviewed. Finally the review considers why ionic calcium measurement is not more widely measured within the diary industry and argues that it could be beneficial to do so.     

Importance of casein micelle size and milk composition for milk gelation

The economic output of the dairy industry is to a great extent dependent on the processing of milk into other milk-based products such as cheese. The yield and quality of cheese are dependent on both the composition and technological properties of milk. The objective of this study was to evaluate the importance and effects of casein (CN) micelle size and milk composition on milk gelation characteristics in order to evaluate the possibilities for enhancing gelation properties through breeding. Milk was collected on 4 sampling occasions at the farm level in winter and summer from dairy cows with high genetic merit, classified as elite dairy cows, of the Swedish Red and Swedish Holstein breeds. Comparisons were made with milk from a Swedish Red herd, a Swedish Holstein herd, and a Swedish dairy processor. Properties of CN micelles, such as their native and rennet-induced CN micelle size and their ζ-potential, were analyzed by photon correlation spectroscopy, and rennet-induced gelation characteristics, including gel strength, gelation time, and frequency sweeps, were determined. Milk parameters of the protein, lipid, and carbohydrate profiles as well as minerals were used to obtain correlations with native CN micelle size and gelation characteristics. Milk pH and protein, CN, and lactose contents were found to affect milk gelation. Smaller native CN micelles were shown to form stronger gels when poorly coagulating milk was excluded from the correlation analysis. In addition, milk pH correlated positively, whereas Mg and K correlated negatively with native CN micellar size. The milk from the elite dairy cows was shown to have good gelation characteristics. Furthermore, genetic progress in relation to CN micelle size was found for these cows as a correlated response to selection for the Swedish breeding objective if optimizing for milk gelation characteristics. The results indicate that selection for smaller native CN micelles and lower milk pH through breeding would enhance gelation properties and may thus improve the initial step in the processing of cheese.     

Dynamics of casein micelles in skim milk during and after high pressure treatment

The effect of high hydrostatic pressure on turbidity of skim milk was measured in situ together with casein micelle size distribution. High pressure (HP) treatment reduced the turbidity of milk with a stronger pressure dependency between 50 and 300 MPa when the temperature was decreased from 20 to 5 °C, while at 30 °C (50–150 MPa) turbidity exceeded that of untreated milk. At 250 and 300 MPa turbidity decreased extremely. During pressurization of milk at 250 and 300 MPa, the turbidity initially decreased, but treatments longer than 10 min increased the turbidity progressively, indicating that re-association followed dissociation of casein micelles. Especially at 40 °C and at 250 and 300 MPa, the turbidity increased beyond untreated milk. Dynamic light scattering was used to investigate casein micelle sizes in milk immediately after long time (up to 4 h) pressurization at 250 and 300 MPa and casein micelle size distributions were bimodal with micelle sizes markedly smaller and markedly larger than those of untreated milk. Pressure modified casein micelles present after treatment of milk at 250 and 300 MPa were concluded to be highly unstable, since the larger micelles induced by pressure showed marked changes toward smaller particle sizes in milk left at ambient pressure.     

Evaporative concentration of skimmed milk: Effect on casein micelle hydration,composition, and size

Understanding the effect of evaporative concentration on casein micelle composition is of high importance for milk processing. Alterations to the hydration, composition and size of casein micelles were investigated in skimmed milk evaporated to concentrations of 12–45% total solids content. The size of casein micelles was determined by dynamic light scattering, and the water content and composition determined by analysis of supernatants and pellets obtained by ultracentrifugation. The mass balance and hydration results showed that during the evaporation process, while micelles were dehydrated, water was removed preferentially from the serum. The amount of soluble casein and calcium in the serum decreased as a function of increasing solids content, indicating a shift of these components to the micelles. The formation of a small proportion of micelle aggregates at high concentrations appeared dependent on the time kept at these concentrations. Upon redilution with water, casein micelles were immediately rehydrated and aggregates were broken up in a matter of minutes. Soluble calcium and pH returned to their original state over a number of hours; however, only a small percentage of original soluble casein returned to the serum over the 5 h period investigated. These results showed that casein micelles are significantly affected by evaporative concentration and that the alterations are not completely and rapidly reversible.     

Interactive effects of casein micelle size and calcium and citrate content on rennet‐induced coagulation in bovine milk

Interactive effects of casein micelle size and milk calcium and citrate content on rennet‐induced coagulation were investigated. Milk samples containing small (SM) and large (LM) micelles, obtained from individual Holstein cows, were modified by addition of calcium and/or citrate and milk coagulation properties were evaluated in a full factorial design. The results showed that LM milk had a higher relative proportion of casein, coagulated faster, and resulted in a stronger gel than SM milk. Addition of calcium slightly decreased casein micelle size, while addition of citrate slightly increased micelle size. Calcium addition resulted in a shorter coagulation time and the strongest gels, while citrate addition increased the coagulation time and resulted in the weakest gels. Addition of calcium and citrate in combination resulted in intermediate coagulation properties. The interactive effect of micelle size and citrate was significant for gel strength. Microstructural differences between the milk gels were consistent with the rheological properties, for example, the micrographs revealed that a more homogeneous network was formed when calcium was added, resulting in a stronger gel. A more inhomogeneous network structure was formed when citrate was added, resulting in a weaker gel. Thus, variations in casein micelle size and in calcium and citrate content influence rennet‐induced coagulation in bovine milk. The calcium and citrate contents in Swedish milk have changed over time, whereby calcium content has increased and citrate content has decreased. In practical cheese making, calcium is added to cheese milk, most likely altering the role of inherent citrate and possibly influencing casein micelle size. The observed interaction effect between casein micelle size and citrate in this study, suggests that larger micelles with moderate citrate level will result in firmer gels, whereas a higher citrate content reduced gel strength more in case of large than SM. Since firmer gels are likely to retain more protein and fat than less firmer gels, this interaction effect could have implications in practical cheese production.     

Changes in physical properties of bovine milk from the colostrum period to early lactation

The aim of this study was to analyze individual cows’ samples from the colostrum, postcolostrum, and early lactation periods to investigate how milk composition, physical properties, stability, and suitability for processing change throughout this period. Attention was paid to the first week postpartum in which the composition of bovine mammary secretion can change markedly. Properties including pH, titratable acidity, ethanol stability (ES), rennet clotting time, and casein micelle size were analyzed, together with some compositional factors such as fat, total protein, lactose, total and ionic calcium, magnesium, citrate, phosphorus, sodium, and potassium. Total Ca (36.2 mM) and free ionic Ca (2.58 mM), Mg (5.9 mM), P (32.2 mM), and Na (24.1 mM) appeared to be high on d 5 postpartum, having decreased substantially over the first 5 d; they gradually decreased thereafter. The average pH on d 5 was only 6.49, compared with 6.64 at 1 mo postpartum. Stability measurements showed that the average ES on d 5 was 70% and the rennet clotting time was 12.2 min, which were significantly lower than values at later stages. A number of milk properties including ES, pH, protein content, and Ca²⁺ concentration could be useful for identifying the point of transition from colostrum to the early lactation period. Knowing the composition and physical properties of colostrum and postcolostrum secretions will help establish when such milk is suitable for processing and determine the best use for that milk.     

定量分析加热后乳清蛋白与酪蛋白的结合

将复原脱脂乳在 70～ 90℃范围内加热 1 0～ 2 5min后 ,用超速离心分离出酪蛋白微粒 ,并用毛细管电泳法定量分析。结果显示 ,β-乳球蛋白更容易结合到酪蛋白微粒上。当加热条件为 70℃、1 0 min时就有相当多的 β-乳球蛋白发生了这种结合 ,这时酪蛋白微粒中没发现任何 α-乳清蛋白 ,只有当加热温度大于 75℃时才有少量 α-乳清蛋白与酪蛋白微粒结合。复原脱脂乳经 90℃、2 5min加热后几乎所有 β-乳球蛋白都已转入酪蛋白微粒部分 ,而只有近 50 %的α-乳清蛋白转入酪蛋白微粒。     

Influence of heat treatment of goat milk on casein micelle size,rheological and textural properties of acid gels and set type yoghurts

Acid gels and yoghurts were made from goat milk that was heated at 72°C/30 s, 85°C/5 min, and 95°C/5 min, followed by acidification with starter culture at 43C until pH 4.6. The rheological and textural properties of acid gels and yoghurts were analyzed using dynamic low amplitude oscillatory rheology and back extrusion texture analysis, respectively. The effect of goat milk heat treatment on the mean casein micelle diameter and protein profile was also determined by dynamic light scattering and SDS PAGE electrophoresis, respectively. The shortest gelation and fermentation time was recorded for yoghurt prepared from milk heated at 85°C/5 min. Also, the pH of gelation, the storage moduli (G′) and yield stress were higher for this yoghurt, compared with the other two. Textural properties of goat milk yoghurts such as firmness and consistency were strongly affected by milk heat treatment, and the highest values were recorded for yoghurt produced from milk preheated at 85°C/5 min, as well. The largest casein micelles were measured after 85°C/5 min treatment and their size decreased at higher temperature, despite higher denaturation of whey proteins at the most intense heat regime, indicating the structure changes that influence on the acid gelation.     

The association of lipophilic phospholipids with native bovine casein micelles in skim milk: Effect of lactation stage and casein micelle size

A known biological role of casein micelles is to transport calcium from mother to young and provide amino acids for growth and development. Previous reports demonstrated that modified casein micelles can be used to transport and deliver hydrophobic probes. In this study, the distribution of lipid-soluble phospholipids, including sphingomyelins (SM) and phosphatidylcholines (PC), was quantified in whole raw milk, skim raw milk, and casein micelles of various sizes during early, mid, and late lactation stages. Low-pressure size exclusion chromatography was used to separate casein micelles by size, followed by hydrophobic extraction and liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry for the quantification of PC and SM. Results showed that the SM d18:1/23:0, d18:1/22:0, d18:1/16:0, d16:1/22:0, d16:1/23:0, and d18:1/24:0 and the PC 16:0/18:1, 18:0/18:2, and 16:0/16:0 were dominating candidates appearing in maximum concentration in whole raw milk obtained from late lactation, with 21 to 50% of total SM and 16 to 35% of total PC appearing in skim milk. Of the total SM and PC found in skim milk, 35 to 46% of SM and 22 to 29% of PC were associated with the casein micelle fraction. The highest concentrations of SM d18:1/22:0 (341 ± 17 µg/g of casein protein) and PC 16:0/18:1 (180 ± 20 µg/g of casein protein) were found to be associated with the largest casein micelles (diameter = 149 nm) isolated in milk from late lactation, followed by a decrease in concentration as the casein micelle size decreased.     

Influence of molecular weight and degree of substitution of carboxymethylcellulose on the stability of acidified milk drinks

The influence of molecular weight (M_w, 250,000, 700,000) and degree of substitution (DS, 0.7, 0.9 and 1.2) of carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) on the diameter and ζ-potential of casein micelles during acidification in diluted dispersions and on the stability of acidified milk drinks was investigated. The experimental results suggested that CMC with high M_w or low DS would result in thick adsorbed layer onto casein micelles. The ζ-potential of CMC-coated casein micelle increased with increasing the M_w of CMC with the same DS while at a fixed M_w the ζ-potential for CMC with high DS (1.2) increased in comparison with those for CMC with low DS (0.7 and 0.9). Both M_w and DS of CMC influenced the stability of acidified milk drinks. CMC with high M_w increased the viscosity of acidified milk drinks significantly and therefore contributed to the stability. CMC with high DS resulted in high ζ-potential of CMC-coated casein micelles, increasing the electrostatic repulsion between casein particles, which prevented the phase separation in acidified milk drinks. It was also found that the amount of CMC needed for efficient coverage of casein micelles increased with increasing the M_w of CMC. Above the efficient coverage concentration, the long-term stability of acidified milk drinks with high M_w CMC was better than that with low M_w CMC.