Research project NP/DD/33 (Research action NP)
To increase the shelf life of milk and to guarantee its microbiological safety, the product is heat treated. The heat treatment is the final and correcting step in the production process of consumption milk. To overcome that this step becomes a corrective action to hide problems associated with other steps in the production line and leading to overprocessing of the product and to force producers to apply the HACCP principle to all steps in the production process, the European Union is currently in a process of defining criteria for consumption milk. Conformity with such criteria (product conformity in terms of processing as indicated by labeling) will guarantee product quality. In addition, the application of mild heat treatments will benefit the environment and will increase production economy because of reduced energy consumption and reduced fouling of heat exchangers during processing (fouling results in product loss, need for cleaning and decrease of production efficiency). These issues are clearly compatible with the call for proposals in this program as it relates to the concerns on product authenticity and production associated environmental impact.
Therefore the objective of this research project is to formulate answers to these two problems. This project will focus on intrinsic indicators of processed milk that will allow to identify the authenticity of heat treated consumption milk (compliance of Belgian diary industry with European future directives) and to optimize all resources used in the process (the production of a high quality microbiologically safe product with minimal fouling of the production equipment). The results of the project will allow to evaluate current practices ant to initiate a discussion forum on the improvement of production conditions.
To reach the global objectives of the project, the work will be carried out in three phases:
The first phase of the project will consist in an inventarisation of the current situation. Existing production lines in the Belgian dairy industry will be characterized in detail. This first phase will consist in (i): an inquiry among the Belgian dairy industry, (ii) a detailed literature review on potential intrinsic indicators, criteria for microbiological safety of milk and fouling of heat exchangers during milk production and potential indicators fouling. (iii) the determination of levels of potential intrinsic indicators for thermal processing for milk produced under the identified processing conditions and (iv) the determination of heat stability of milk produced under the identified processing conditions.
The second phase of the project will focus on a detailed kinetic study of intrinsic indicators of milk as a basis for the development of indicators for processing authenticity and the development of a mathematical model that will allow to calculate optimal processing conditions in terms of consumer safety (high quality microbiologically safe product) and minimal fouling. This phase of the project will consist of (i) the experimental determination of kinetics of physico-chemical changes of milk as a basis for processed milk authenticity indicators, (ii) the experimental determination of kinetics of physico-chemical changes of milk relevant for fouling of heat exchangers (iii) selection of indicators for authenticity and (iv) the formulation of mathematical model including kinetics for microbiological safety, kinetics of relevant time temperature integrators and kinetics of fouling.
The third phase of the project will focus on the implementation of the indicators and the optimization of thermal processing of consumption milk.
At the end of the project, the proposers will disseminate the results of the project by organizing a workshop where the Belgian dairy industry will be informed on the outcome of the project and an analysis of the current Belgian situation in light of future European directives. The results should indicate how the current situation can be improved towards increased production efficiency with decreased energy cost and environmental impact.
Intrisic indicators for processed milk authenticity: overview report
Brussels: OSTC, 2001 (SP0826)
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Intrisic indicators for processed milk authenticity: enclosures
Brussels: OSTC, 2001 (SP0827)
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Intrisic indicators for processed milk authenticity: enclosure 3
Brussels: OSTC, 2001 (SP0828)
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Intrinsic indicators for processed milk authenticity: executive summary
Brussels: OSTC, 2001 (SP0934)
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Indicateurs intrinsèques de l’authenticité du lait de consommation traité par procédé thermique: résumé opérationnel
Bruxelles: SSTC, 2001 (SP0935)
[To download]
