Physicochemical compositions of fluid milk products made from refrigerated, frozen-thawed, and blast frozen-thawed cow’s milk

Abstract

Subjecting raw milk to low temperatures such as refrigeration and freezing are common practices by dairy farmers and cooperatives in the Philippines to slow down the deterioration of milk quality and address the fluctuations in milk production. However, physicochemical changes in milk including the formation of intracellular and extracellular ice crystals and the development of a supersaturated solution and concentration gradient occur during freezing. These changes may affect milk performance in the development of high-value-added dairy products. Hence, this study compared the physicochemical compositions of fluid milk products made from refrigerated, frozen-thawed, and blast frozen-thawed cow’s milk (RM, FM, and BFM, respectively). For non-fat kefir, FM and BFM had significantly lower moisture content, higher total solids content, and higher viscosity compared to RM. Total solids content, lactic acid production, and viscosity are good indicators to be considered in producing high-quality kefir. For half-and-half cream, moisture content, total solids content, and viscosity did not significantly differ between RM and BFM. For light whipping cream, no physicochemical component was significantly different among treatments. Overall, based on the results of this study, blast freezing can be considered a suitable long-term storage condition of milk prior to further processing without negatively affecting its physical composition as fluid milk products.