Proteomic, metabolomic and lipidomic profiles provide insights on milk quality differences during heat treatment

This study assessed the effects of industrial-scale direct (130 °C/0.5 s) and indirect (75 °C/15 s, 122 °C/4 s, 137 °C/4 s) heat treatments on raw milk through integrated multi-omics and sensory profiling. Results showed that direct and mild indirect (75 °C/15 s) treatments best preserved sensory qualities close to raw milk, with enhanced umami and richness, reduced sulfurous and nitrogen oxide signal, and minimal changes in proteomic, lipidomic, and metabolomic profiles. Direct heating produced smaller protein particles, although fat-globule size was unaffected. Increasing heat intensity elevated membrane proteins, diminished bioactive proteins, and reduced the abundance and diversity of amino acids, lipids, and organic acids. Multi-omics correlation networks linked milk fat globule membrane components and lipids to particle size and sensory attributes-fat globule size was strongly associated with richness. The study demonstrates that direct heating better retains native milk properties and provides molecular-level insight into thermal processing effects.