Moscow, Russian Federation
As the production of high-protein powders continues to grow, so does the need for rapid and reliable methods to monitor their quality during storage. Traditional biochemical methods for assessing the Maillard reaction, protein aggregation, and lipid oxidation are labor-intensive and require complex sample preparation. However, industrial production demands express indicators of quality deterioration. This article describes the visual assessment of caking and the whiteness index as operational criteria for monitoring the technological profile of high-protein dairy powders. The research featured milk protein concentrate, micellar casein concentrate, whey protein concentrate, and lecithinized whey protein concentrate. The samples were stored for 2 months at 6 ± 2 and 45 ± 2 °C with a relative humidity of 65%. All samples increased in size except for the whey protein concentrate sample stored at 45 °C. The yellowness index (b*) significantly affected the color profile during storage. All samples experienced a decrease in the whiteness index, following this sequence of sensitivity: lecithinized whey protein concentrate – whey protein concentrate – micellar casein concentrate – milk protein concentrate. The most severe decrease occurred in lecithinized whey protein concentrate (10.9%), while micellar casein concentrate and milk protein concentrate exhibited minimal changes (~3%). Digital colorimetry proved highly sensitive to the structural and chemical transformations of milk powder systems. This approach can be recommended as an express monitoring tool for high-protein dairy ingredients in industrial practice.
dairy ingredients, whiteness index, caking, quality control
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