Thermal processing of buffalo milk – A review

The nutritional, physicochemical, and functional properties of milk are affected by thermal processing. Buffalo milk make a substantial contribution to global milk production but there have been comparatively few studies on how thermal processing affects the properties of buffalo milk. This paper critically reviews the current knowledge regarding changes during thermal processing and storage of buffalo milk, buffalo milk-based products, and buffalo-bovine milk blends. Heating results in modifications of proteins and alteration in the salt balance, which subsequently affect stability against age gelation, sedimentation and creaming during storage. The extent of these changes is a function of milk composition. The mechanisms behind these observed changes are largely explainable based on studies from bovine milk. Hence, further studies on the heat-induced changes in the major constituents of buffalo milk are required to give a clearer picture on how these changes affect the final buffalo milk products.