Abstract

Surface tension is an important property of milk concentrates because it affects atomisation in spray drying. A Krüss tensiometer and Wilhelmy plate were used to measure surface tension. Skim milk and whole milk were tested at a range of solids concentrations and were compared with the surface tension of standard and reconstituted milks. It was found that surface tension was affected more by temperature than by fat content or solids concentration. The surface tensions for concentrates correspond to published values for standard milks below 60°C, but above 60°C, the surface tension increases markedly, which can be attributed to changes in the milk chemistry. The difficulty associated with using the Wilhelmy plate method is the time taken to perform each measurement, which allows a skin to form and reduces the accuracy of the measurements.

Submitted: January 26, 2005 · Accepted: January 26, 2005 · Published: January 27, 2005

Recommended Citation

Williams, Anna M.; Jones, J.R.; Paterson, A.H.J.; and Pearce, D.L. (2005) "Milks and Milk Concentrates: Surface Tension Measurement," International Journal of Food Engineering: Vol. 1 : Iss. 1, Article 1.
DOI: 10.2202/1556-3758.1002
Available at: http://www.bepress.com/ijfe/vol1/iss1/art1