Fonterra traces musty flavour defect in dairy drinks

By Guy Montague-Jones

- Last updated on GMT

Related tags Milk Fonterra

Fonterra traces musty flavour defect in dairy drinks
Fonterra research has found that a musty flavour defect in beverages containing calcium caseinate is due to tainting by TBP and TBA, which likely to be caused by contamination in transport.

Writing in the International Dairy Journal, scientists at the Fonterra Research Centre explored the sources and causes of an undesirable musty smell in drinks containing calcium caseinate from New Zealand.

Samples of finished beverages and calcium caseinate affected by the musty smell were collected off-shore and returned to New Zealand for analysis.

In an examination of the samples the Fonterra scientists traced the intense musty/leather smell to chemical tainting by 2,4,6-tribromophenol (TBP) and 2,4,6-tribromoanisole (TBA).

Lab results

In samples of finished beverages TBA was found at concentrations of between 0.5 and 0.9 μg kg-1; substantially above the sensory threshold (0.02 μg kg-1 in a 10 per cent calcium caseinate solution). TBA concentrations were even higher in the calcium caseinate samples (20 to 560 μg kg-1).

Because TBP and TBA are highly unusual compounds to be found in dairy products and were not found in retention samples, it was concluded that contamination must have occurred in the supply chain, after manufacture.

Knowing that shipping containers are commonly associated with tainting, the Fonterra researchers turned their investigation in this direction.

Origin of TBA and TBP taint

In the search for the origin of the TBP and TBA taint, the scientists identified timber shipping container floors and slipsheets constructed from recycled plastics as the two likely sources.

TBP was found in both timber samples and recycled slipsheets - TBA was not identified but TBP readily converts to TBA by environmental fungi in the general environment. Both could therefore be considered sources of TBP and TBA.

Despite identifying these potential sources, the scientists found that even materials that contained significant amounts of TBP still did not contain enough to fully account for the amount of tainting in the retail beverages.

However, no other potential sources were found so it was concluded that this may be due to samples not being representative or poor extraction of the samples. Acting on the conclusions, Fonterra now ships using slipsheets made from virgin plastic resins free from BFRs (the suspected cause of TBP contamination in slipsheets made from recycled plastic). No significant levels of TBP or TBA have been detected in products that ship on these slipsheets.

Source: International Dairy Journal
DOI: 10.1016/j.idairyj.2010.01.003
A musty flavour defect in calcium caseinate due to chemical tainting by 2,4,6-tribromophenol and 2,4,6-tribromoanisole
Authors: Paul Andrewes, Justin G. Bendall, Graham Davey, Rebecca Shingleton

Related topics Ingredients Fonterra

Related news

Show more

Related products

show more

Unlock the business potential of the protein trend

Unlock the business potential of the protein trend

Content provided by Valio | 08-Feb-2024 | White Paper

Read our white paper to learn how to overcome taste and texture challenges in protein products — and how to commercialise the protein trend by making delicious...

Custom Microbiome Solutions for Dairy & Alt-Dairy Products

Custom Microbiome Solutions for Dairy & Alt-Dairy Products

Content provided by ADM: Innovation that Feeds the Future | 13-Oct-2023 | White Paper

Backed by clinical studies and perfect for use in dairy and alt-dairy applications alike, ADM’s Active Lifestyle probiotic blend, BPL1™ probiotic, and...

Consumers Want Dairy—and More!

Consumers Want Dairy—and More!

Content provided by ADM: Innovation that Feeds the Future | 06-Oct-2023 | White Paper

In the thriving dairy industry, you’re well aware of the surging demand for both dairy and non-dairy products.

Related suppliers

Follow us

Products

View more

Webinars