Abstract #M130

# M130
Effect of different phosphate mixtures and homogenization pressure on the particle size distribution of whole milk.
Igor Lima de Paula2, Erica Felipe Maurício1, Ítalo Tuler Perrone1,2, Antonio Fernandes de Carvalho*1, Luiz Fernando Cappa de Oliveira2, Rodrigo Stephani2, 1Universidade Federal de Vicosa, Vicosa, MG Brazil, 2Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora, MG Brazil.

The application of different phosphate combinations is a usual industrial practice in Brazil, aiming to increase protein stability during UHT processing. Milk homogenization is an essential step whose aims are to reduce the fat globule size and avoid the physical separation of the lipid fraction due to the formation of a new fat globule membrane composition with direct participation of the proteins. The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence on the nanostructure and microstructure of whole milk when 4 concentration levels of 3 different commercial phosphate mixtures were added, subjected to 200, 5000, or 800 bar of homogenization pressure, after 3 storage times at 5°C. Particle size distribution was analyzed by laser refraction on LS 13.320 Beckman Coulter particle analyzer (Brea, CA). From the 81 experiments, 80% of the treatments presented d90 values higher than their corresponding values without addition of the phosphate mixtures, indicating an increase in the fat globules diameters, due to the participation of the caseins after the influence of the salts used.

Key Words: protein stability, nanostructure, microstructure