Factors affecting the ethanol stability of bovine skim-milk

Abstract

SUMMARYThe ethanol (EtOH) stability characteristics of skim-milk concentrates were found to be governed by their chloride ion content. This effect appeared to be largely one of ionic strength. At pH values around 7·0 and above, EtOH stability showed a linear decrease with increasing chloride content but at pH values < 7 the relationship was non-linear. This empirical observation allows the EtOH stability of a skim-milk concentrate to be predicted from simple measurements on the original milk sample. Moreover, predicted increases in the EtOH stability of concentrated milks were obtained when the levels of monovalent ions in the system were reduced either by dialysis before or after concentration or by ultrafiltration.