Formation of lysinoalanine during heat treatment of milk

The heat-induced formation of lysinoalanine (LAL) was studied in raw skim milk that had been subjected to heat treatments as is usual in milk technology. Preheat treatment of milk at temperatures below 100 degrees C up to 20 min resulted in neglectable LAL amounts below 10 ppm i.p. (i.p.=in the protein) if at all. Tests with an UHT pilot plant showed that there was no proven formation of LAL with direct UHT-treatment at 110-130 degrees C for 10-25 min. In indirect UHT-treated milk vert small LAL amouints up to 50 ppm i.p. were detected only in those milk samples that were treated at temperatures high than 145 degrees C and holding times longer than 10 s. Autoclave sterilization in the range of 110-129 degrees C/10-25 min induced LAL amounts of 110 to 710 ppm i.p.. LAL formation in autoclave sterilized milk was almost directly dependent on heating temperature and time. Pre-treatment at temperatures below 100 degrees C induced no further LAL formation in any sterilization processes subsequent to preheating. In the pH range 6,50-6,90 LAL amounts in autoclave-sterilized milk increased directly with higher pH values at all temperatures. The varying degree of LAL formation with pH value was substantially more noticeable at higher than at lower temperatures. Increasing of lactose concentration caused only an insignificant decrease in LAL formation in autoclave-sterilized milk.