Effects of Heat Treatment on the Nutritional Quality of Milk. IV. Effects of Heat Treatment on the Physical and Nutritional Properties of Milk Protein

Abstract

Among milk proteins, caseins are not subjected to chemical changes during heat treatment of milk; however, whey proteins are partially denatured following heat treatment. The degree of whey protein denaturation by heat treatment is decreased in the order of high temperature short time (HTST) > low temperature long time (LTLT) > direct-ultra-high temperature (UHT) > indirect-UHT. As a result of heat treatment, several changes, including variations in milk nitrogen, interactions between beta-lactoglobulin and k-casein, variations in calcium sulfate and casein micelle size, and delay of milk coagulation by chymosin action, were observed. Lysine, an important essential amino acid found in milk, was partially inactivated during heat treatment. Therefore, the available amount of lysine decreased slightly (1~4% decrease) after heat treatment, However, the influence of heat treatment on the nutritional value of milk was negligible. Nutritional value and nitrogen balance did not differ significantly between UHT and LTLT in milk. In conclusion, our results showed that heat treatment of milk did not alter protein quality. Whey proteins denatured to a limited extent during the heat treatment process, and the nutritional value and protein quality were unaffected by heat treatment.