In this research communication we propose a new approach by portable digital microscopy with a 200× objective to improve the visualization of microparticles of pasteurized milk submitted to the alcohol test. Not only did the method reduce the subjectivity of the readings, but also generated high resolution images of the microparticles, which allows the creation of a specific image pattern for each type of final product. In comparison to a control pasteurized milk treatment, the results confirmed the effect and the specificity of added salts (sodium citrate, disodium phosphate or their combination) on the stability of the milk to the alcohol test. Finally, the mixture of stabilizing salts of citrate/phosphate provided the highest degree of stability to pasteurized milk among the treatments studied.

Identification of the most proteolytic Pseudomonas strains that can produce heat-resistant proteases and contribute to the Ultra High Temperature (UHT) milk destabilization is of great interest. In the present study, among the 146 Pseudomonas isolates that encoded the aprX gene, five isolates with the highest proteolytic activity were selected and identified based on 16S rRNA, rpoD and gyrB gene sequences data. The identification results were confirmed by phylogenetic analysis based on multilocus sequence analysis and identified the representative isolates as P. jessenii (two isolates) and P. gessardii (three isolates). Casein zymography demonstrated the ability of these species to produce heat-resistant enzymes, AprX, with molecular mass of about 48 kDa during storage at 7° C for 72 h. In sterilized milk samples, the residual activity of AprX caused a considerable enhancement in the degree of protein hydrolysis, non-protein nitrogen and non-casein nitrogen contents of the samples during a two-month storage. This enhancement was slightly higher in samples containing enzyme produced by P. jessenii compared to P. gessardii ones, resulting in earlier onset of sterilized milk destabilization. Hence, this study revealed that P. jessenii and P. gessardii can play a considerable role in deterioration of Iranian commercial long-life milk.

This research communication describes enzymatic and physico-chemical changes during storage of UHT milk. The UHT milk sample was stored at 5 and 30°C for 4 months and analyzed regularly at intervals of one month. During storage of UHT milk, there was a significant (P < 0.001) increase in non-protein nitrogen, non-casein nitrogen, soluble calcium, soluble magnesium and proteolysis, while a significant (P < 0.001) decrease in pH was observed. There was a slight change in the particle size and zeta potential of casein micelles. Changes were more pronounced in milk samples stored at 30°C than in those stored at 5°C. During storage, there occurred changes in pH, viscosity, salt balance and nitrogenous components which adversely affected quality. It was concluded that the proteolysis led to the acidification which had a destabilizing effect on the milk.

The properties of commercial directly and indirectly heated UHT milks, both after heating and during storage at room temperature for 24 weeks, were studied. Thermally induced changes were examined by changes in lactulose, furosine and acid-soluble whey proteins. The results confirmed previous reports that directly heated UHT milks suffer less heat damage than indirectly heated milk. During storage, furosine increased and bovine serum albumin in directly heat-treated milks decreased significantly. The changes in lactulose, α-lactalbumin and β-lactoglobulin were not statistically significant. The data suggest that heat treatment indicators should be measured as soon as possible after processing to avoid any misinterpretations of the intensity of the heat treatment.