Thermal Processing and Quality Assessment of Ultra-High Temperature Milk
Summary
Ultra-high temperature (UHT) processing involves heating milk above 135 °C for a few seconds, followed by aseptic packaging, to achieve extended shelf life without refrigeration. The intense heat inactivates vegetative microorganisms and spores, while rapid cooling and sterile filling preserve nutritional and sensory properties. Key quality attributes include protein stability, lipid integrity, flavour retention and physical homogeneity. Thermal exposure induces protein denaturation, Maillard browning and lipid oxidation, which can lead to off-flavours, sedimentation, creaming and age gelation during storage. Heat-induced modifications of casein micelles and whey proteins influence viscosity, heat coagulation time and susceptibility to proteolysis. Storage conditions—temperature, light exposure and package permeability—further affect chemical reactions and microbial safety. Modern quality assessment combines instrumental methods (GC-MS for fatty acids, HPLC for organic acids, spectrophotometry for browning indices), rheological testing and sensory analysis. Optimising process parameters and raw-milk composition is critical to balance microbial safety, nutritional value and consumer acceptance on a global scale.
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Thermal Processing and Quality Assessment of Ultra-High Temperature Milk publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in thermal processing and quality assessment of ultra-high temperature milk across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Ultra-high temperature (UHT) processing: A heat treatment above 135 °C for a few seconds to sterilise milk.
Aseptic packaging: Filling sterilised product into sterile containers to prevent recontamination.
Protein denaturation: Irreversible unfolding of milk proteins caused by heat, altering functionality.
Maillard reaction: Non-enzymatic browning between reducing sugars and amino acids, affecting colour and flavour.
Lipid oxidation: Degradation of unsaturated fats leading to off-flavours and loss of nutritional quality.
Age gelation: Formation of a semi-solid network in UHT milk during storage due to proteolysis and aggregation.
Sedimentation: Deposition of insoluble protein-mineral complexes at the bottom of the package over time.
Heat coagulation time: The period required for heated milk to coagulate under standard conditions, indicating stability.
References
- A comprehensive review on heat treatments and related impact on the quality and microbial safety of milk and milk-based products. Food Chemistry Advances (2022).
- Influence of Ultra-Heat Treatment on Properties of Milk Proteins. Polymers (2021).
- The Effect of Calcium, Citrate, and Urea on the Stability of Ultra-High Temperature Treated Milk: A Full Factorial Designed Study. Foods (2019).
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