A heat-induced change in the ultrastructure of milk and its effect on gel formation in yoghurt

Abstract

SummaryMicelles of milk heated at 95 °C for 10 min or autoclaved at 121·7 °C for 15 min were observed by electron microscopy to bear filamentous appendages, whereas micelles from raw milk had relatively smooth contours with no appendages. Experiments suggested that the appendages were composed of denatured β-lactoglobulin and showed that their development was sensitive to sulphydryl blocking agents. Firmness and syneresis of yoghurt were associated with the extent to which micelles coalesced during fermentation; the appendages of micelles in heated milk appeared to inhibit coalescence giving rise to a firmer curd with a lower tendency to syneresis.