The Influence of Nonfat Dry Milk on the Sensory Properties, Viscosity, and Color of Lowfat Milks

¹ Northeast Dairy Foods Research Center, Department of Food Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853

Previous work demonstrated that an effective fat substitute for fat-free milk should make the color of the milk whiter, less green, and less blue. This change corresponds to the L, a, and b values of 81, –3.7, and 2.9, respectively, for milk with 2% added fat, based on L, a, and b values of 74, –6.7, and 1.1 for skim milk. The first candidate for a fat replacer was NDM. Addition of NDM (0 to 2% solids) did not impart the same sensory or color characteristics (L, a, and b values of 75.6, –6.5, and 1.9, respectively, for 2% NDM solids added to skim milk) as fat. However, the effect of addition of 2% NDM on the objective measure of viscosity was very similar to addition of 2% fat. Our results suggested that a fat substitute for fat-free milk needs to change the appearance attributes of the milk more than its tactile attributes and that addition of NDM alone is not an adequate fat substitute for use in skim milk.

Key Words: viscosity • milk • fat substitute

Submitted on October 13, 1994
Accepted on May 16, 1995