Shelf-stable milk could benefit from sensory quality improvement. Current methods of heating cause flavor and nutrient degradation through exposure to overheated thermal exchange surfaces. Rapid heating with microwaves followed by sudden cooling could reduce or eliminate this problem. The objectives for this study were focused on designing and implementing continuous microwave thermal processing of skim fluid milks (white and chocolate) to compare sensory, microbiological, and biochemical parameters with conventionally prepared, indirect UHT milks. All test products were aseptically packaged and stored at ambient temperature for 12 mo. Every 3 mo, samples were taken for microbiological testing, reactive sulfhydryl determinations, active enzyme analysis, instrumental viscosity readings, color measurements, and descriptive sensory evaluation. Microbiological plate counts were negative on all milks at each time point. Enzymatic assays showed that plasmin was inactivated by both heat treatments. 5,5'-dithio-bis(2-nitrobenzoic acid) analysis, a measure of reactive sulfhydryl (-SH-) groups, showed that the initial thiol content was not significantly different between the microwave-processed and UHT-treated milks. However, both heating methods resulted in an increased thiol level compared with conventionally pasteurized milk samples due to the higher temperatures attained. Sulfhydryl oxidase, a milk enzyme that catalyzes disulfide bond formation using a variety of protein substrates, retained activity following microwave processing, and decreased during storage. Viscosity values were essentially equivalent in microwave- and UHT-heated white skim milks. Sensory analyses established that UHT-treated milks were visibly darker, and exhibited higher caramelized and stale/fatty flavors with increased astringency compared with the microwave samples. Sweet aromatic flavor and sweet taste decreased during storage in both UHT and microwave milk products, whereas stale/fatty flavors increased over time. Sensory effects were more apparent in white milks than in chocolate varieties. These studies suggest that microwave technology may provide a useful alternative processing method for delivery of aseptic milk products that retain a long shelf life.

Dielectric properties of pumpable food materials having a potential to be processed using a continuous flow microwave heating system were measured at 915 MHz and in the temperature range of 10–90°C. The products considered in this study were milk and dairy products (ε′: 70.0 to 50.8 and ε″: 14.7 to 41.3), ready to eat puddings (ε′: 69.4 to 52.1 and ε″: 17.2 to 23.8), soy beverages (ε′: 75.4 to 60.8 and ε″: 9.0 to 19.8), and avocado products (ε′: 51.6 to 39.0 and ε″: 17.7 to 67.5). The results showed that the dielectric constant decreased with an increase in temperature and the dielectric loss factor increased with an increase in temperature. Polynomial correlations for the dependence of dielectric properties on temperature were developed. The dielectric properties measured in this study are important parameters for designing a continuous flow microwave heating system for processing pumpable food materials.