Investigation of nitrogen purging prior to UV treatment on quality of milk

Abstract

Ultraviolet treatment (UV-C) is well known for its antimicrobial effects and current research shows that it has the potential to inactivate microorganisms in milk at much lower temperatures than conventional thermal treatment. However, Ultraviolet irradiation may result in adverse effects on milk quality, which arises due to photo oxidation in the presence of oxygen. Limiting the dissolved oxygen content in milk can minimize oxidative damage and thus, result in a better product quality. Nitrogen purging could be an effective method for reducing dissolved oxygen from liquids. The present study evaluates effects of nitrogen purging (prior to UV treatment) on milk quality. It was found that nitrogen purged UV treated milk causes minimal changes to physicochemical properties of milk.