Modeling of lactose crystallization and color changes in model infant foods

Lactose crystallization and color changes in formulas containing beta-lactoglobulin and gelatinized starch were investigated. Model infant formulas were prepared by colyophilization of 3 components (lactose, beta-lactoglobulin, and gelatinized starch). A mixture design was used to choose the percentage of each mixture component. These formulas were stored for 3 mo at different relative humidities (RH), ranging from approximately 0 to 94.6%, to study the lactose crystallization and color changes. Crystallization kinetics was studied by gravimetric methods, and lactose state (crystalline vs. amorphous) was verified before and after storage by differential scanning calorimetry. Before storage, lyophilized lactose was amorphous, but during storage it crystallized, depending on the RH. The lactose crystallization RH depended on the quantity of beta-lactoglobulin and gelatinized starch, and by increasing these quantities, the crystallization RH increased. For some formulas, the crystallization RH was noted at 3 different RH during storage. The first was noted after 1 d of storage and the second and third were observed later on, showing that crystallization is a time-dependent phenomenon. Nonenzymatic browning was studied in model infant formulas by yellow color changes of samples at 11.3, 43.2, 54.5, and 75.4% RH. In this study, 7 mathematical models were proposed to predict the moisture sorption properties and color changes at different RH, and the models were validated by experimental results.