How Heat Affects Milk's Taste and Quality

Milk undergoes changes when it's heated. Scientists looked at how different heating methods affect milk's taste and quality. They found that some methods keep milk's natural flavors better than others. Direct heating at high temperatures for a short time and mild indirect heating at lower temperatures for a longer time kept the milk's taste closest to raw milk. These methods made the milk taste richer and less sulfurous. They also didn't change the milk's proteins, fats, and other molecules much. But when the heat was turned up, things changed. More heat made the milk's tiny fat balls bigger and changed the proteins and other molecules in the milk. This made the milk taste different and less like raw milk. The scientists also found that the size of the fat balls in the milk was linked to how rich the milk tasted. Bigger fat balls made the milk taste richer. This study shows that how milk is heated can make a big difference in how it tastes and what's in it. It gives us a better idea of what happens to milk when it's heated.