Influence of sugars on high-pressure induced gelation of skim milk dispersions

High-pressure treatment (greater than or equal to 500 MPa) of a skim milk p owder dispersion leads to stable gel formation in the presence of added suc rose, glucose or fructose. At each milk protein concentration (down to simi lar to2 wt% micellar casein), the sol-gel phase diagram defines the critica l sugar concentration required for pressure-induced gelation. Surprisingly, once the total sugar content exceeds 45-50 wt%, the gelation becomes inhib ited again. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.