1Department of RDAP, North Eastern Hill University, Tura Campus Tura, Meghalaya – 794 002, India
2College of Veterinary and Animal Science, GB Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, Uttarakhand – 263 145, India
Three types of milks samples i.e. cow milk, buffalo milk and mixed milk (1:1) were processed using conventional heating method and microwave heating methods and stored at room temperature (20–25°C) for 60 days as well as low temperature (5±1°C) for 11 months and analysed periodically. Results revealed that microwave processing led to considerable lesser losses in milk quality as compared to conventional heating method. Further, by using microwaves, milk could be sterilized within 20 min, with lesser losses in protein content. The microwave processed milk also had a shelf life of 40 days at room temperature and more than 10 months under refrigeration temperature (5°C). Therefore microwave processing offer a great alternative to conventional heating, although this demands higher initial capital costs and training of the processor, prior to being used at commercial scales.
Milk, microwave, sterilization, storage quality
