Avaliação microestrutural do leite pasteurizado submetido ao teste do álcool visando processamento UHT

Abstract

The ethanol test is currently among the most spread and known control tests to release the milk batches designed to the UHT processing. Based on its results, the industry reduces batches loss by destabilization, precipitation, gelation and increases the productivity. Considering the production interruption cost and the cost of each cleaning relay saved, it is possible to surmise the value of a rapid test which shows the equilibrium point to the highest thermal stability of a milk batch to be processed. The ethanol test is simple and cheap, but it lacks reliability and depends on subjective observation. Being so, new methodologies were assessed in order to improve the ethanol test precision. It was decided to investigate the milk microstructures formed when it comes into contact with the ethanol in the range of 72%(v/v) to 96%(v/v), in four different conditions of stability, through three visualization methodologies. The test begun with four samples of hole pasteurized milk in different versions as: with no addition of stabilizer salts; with addition of sodium citrate; with addition of disodium phosphate; and with addition of citrates and phosphates mixture. The samples prepared were submitted to the ethanol test. The traditional method of evaluation in the Petri plates (optical direct visualization) was confronted with the optical digital microscope ProScope and with the laser diffraction particle analyzer LS 13.320 (Beckman Coulter). It was possible to infer that there was a positive correlation between the two qualitative methods, optical direct and the optical digital microscope with p<0, 01. The results showed the protein agglutination process begins far before the human eye perception capacity. The easy operation, the low investment, the capacity of digital registration and the obtained results, permit to recommend the optical digital microscope, ProScope, as laboratory equipment for the UHT dairy industries. It may also be recommended as a control and authorization argument, as well as a refined adjustment tool for the stabilizer salts dosage. Considered as an unprecedented support methodology to elucidate the ethanol test occurrences at the micrometric scale, the LS was able to assess the microstructures in the milk nanometric regions. It gave quantitative data with high precision about the ethanol destabilization process and demonstrates accurately the salt effects in the increase of the milk stability to the ethanol performance test. Beyond, it indicates that the mixture of citrates and phosphates was the treatment with greater effectiveness in the increase of the milk stability to the ethanol.