Influence of milk protein concentrates with modified calcium content on enteral dairy beverage formulations: Storage stability.

Control of calcium-mediated storage defects, such as age gelation and sedimentation, were evaluated in enteral high-protein dairy beverages during storage. To investigate the effects of reduced-calcium ingredients on storage stability, 2 batches each of milk protein concentrates (MPC) with 3 levels of calcium content were acquired [control, 20% calcium-reduced (MPC-20), and 30% calcium-reduced (MPC-30)]. Control and calcium-reduced MPC were used to formulate 8% (wt/wt) protein enteral dairy beverages. The formulation also consisted of other ingredients, such as gums, maltodextrin, potassium citrate, and sucrose. The pH-adjusted formulation was divided into 2 parts, one with 0.15% sodium hexametaphosphate (SHMP) and the other with 0% SHMP. The formulations were homogenized and retort sterilized at 121°C for 15 min. The retort-sterilized beverages were stored at room temperature for up to 90 d and particle size and apparent viscosity were measured on d 0, 7, 30, 60, and 90. Beverages formulated using control MPC with 0 and 0.15% SHMP exhibited sedimentation, causing a decrease in apparent viscosity by approximately 10 cP and clear phase separation by d 90. The MPC-20 beverages with 0% SHMP exhibited stable particle size and apparent viscosities during storage. In the presence of 0.15% SHMP, particle size increased rapidly by 40 nm on d 90, implying the start of progressive gelation. On the other hand, highest apparent viscosities leading to gelation were observed in MPC-30 beverages at both concentrations of SHMP studied. These results suggested that beverages formulated with MPC-20 and 0% SHMP would have better storage stability by maintaining lower apparent viscosities. Further reduction of calcium using MPC-30 resulted in rapid gelation of beverages during storage.

Evaluating the crystallization of lactose at different cooling rates from milk and whey permeates in terms of crystal yield and purity.

The cooling rate of supersaturated lactose solution is one of the important parameters determining the yield and size distribution of lactose crystals. The influence of increasing cooling rate on lactose crystallization and quality of lactose crystals was evaluated in concentrated solutions prepared from deproteinized whey powder (DPW) and milk permeate powder (MPP). Concentrated permeates (DPW and MPP) with 60% (wt/wt) total solids were prepared by reconstituting permeate powders in water at 80°C for 2 h for lactose dissolution. Three cooling rates, 0.04°C/min (slow), 0.06°C/min (medium), and 0.08°C/min (fast) were studied in duplicate. A common rapid cooling step (80 to 60°C at 0.5°C/min) followed by slow, medium, and fast cooling rates were applied as per the experimental design from 60 to 20°C. After crystallization, the crystal slurry was centrifuged, washed with cold water, and dried. The dried lactose crystals were weighed to calculate the lactose yield. Final mean particle chord lengths were measured at the end of crystallization using focused beam reflectance measurement for slow, medium, and fast cooling rates, and observed to be not significantly different for DPW (27-33 µm) and MPP (31-34 µm) concentrates. Similarly, the lactose yield for slow, medium, and fast cooling rates in the DPW and MPP concentrates were in the range of 71 to 73% and 76 to 81%, respectively, and no significant difference between the 3 cooling rates was found. Qualitative analysis of dried lactose crystals exhibited no noticeable differences in the crystal purity with increasing cooling rate. This study evaluated the possibility of reducing the crystallization times by 8 h compared with current industrial practice without compromising the crystal yield and quality.

Influence of milk protein concentrates with modified calcium content on enteral dairy beverage formulations: Physicochemical properties.

Because of their high protein and low lactose content, milk protein concentrates (MPC) are typically used in the formulation of ready-to-drink beverages. Calcium-mediated aggregation of proteins during storage is one of the main reasons for loss of storage stability of these beverages. Control and calcium-reduced MPC [20% calcium-reduced (MPC-20) and 30% calcium-reduced (MPC-30)] were used to evaluate the physicochemical properties in this study. This study was conducted in 2 phases. In phase I, 8% protein solutions were prepared by reconstituting the 3 MPC and adjusting the pH to 7. These solutions were divided into 3 equal parts, 0, 0.15, or 0.25% sodium hexametaphosphate (SHMP) was added, and the solutions were homogenized. In phase II, enteral dairy beverage formulations containing MPC and a mixture of gums, maltodextrin, and sugar were evaluated following the same procedure used in phase I. In both phases, heat stability, apparent viscosity, and particle size were compared before and after heat treatment at 140°C for 15 s. In the absence of SHMP, MPC-20 and MPC-30 exhibited the highest heat coagulation time at 30.9 and 32.8 min, respectively, compared with the control (20.9 min). In phase II, without any addition of SHMP, MPC-20 exhibited the highest heat coagulation time of 9.3 min compared with 7.1 min for control and 6.2 min for MPC-30. An increase in apparent viscosity and a decrease in particle size of reconstituted MPC solutions in phases I and II with an increase in SHMP concentration was attributed to casein micelle dissociation caused by calcium chelation. This study highlights the potential for application of calcium-reduced MPC in dairy-based ready-to-drink and enteral nutrition beverage formulations to improve their heat stability.

Focused beam reflectance measurement as a tool for in situ monitoring of the lactose crystallization process.

Lactose accounts for about 75 and 85% of the solids in whey and deproteinized whey, respectively. Production of lactose is usually carried out by a process called crystallization. Several factors including rate of cooling, presence of impurities, and mixing speed influence the crystal size characteristics. To optimize the lactose crystallization process parameters to maximize the lactose yield, it is important to monitor the crystallization process. However, efficient in situ tools to implement at concentrations relevant to the dairy industry are lacking. The objective of the present work was to use a focused beam reflectance measurement (FBRM) system for in situ monitoring of lactose crystallization at supersaturated concentrations (wt/wt) 50, 55, and 60% at 20 and 30°C. The FBRM data were compared with Brix readings collected using a refractometer during isothermal crystallization. Chord length distributions obtained from FBRM in the ranges of <50 µm (fine crystals) and 50 to 300 µm (coarse crystals) were recorded and evaluated in relation to the extent of crystallization and rate constants deduced from the refractometer measurements. Extent of crystallization and rate constants increased with increasing supersaturation concentration and temperature. The measured fine crystal counts from FBRM increased at higher supersaturated concentration and temperature during isothermal crystallization. On the other hand, coarse counts were observed to increase with decreasing supersaturated concentration and temperature. Square weighted chord length distribution obtained from FBRM showed that as concentration increased, a decrease in chord lengths occurred at 20°C and similar observations were made from microscopic images. The robustness of FBRM in understanding isothermal lactose crystallization at various concentrations and temperatures was successfully assessed in the study.