Dr.

Mohammad Ashraf Paul

Division of Livestock Products Technology

Faculty of Veterinary Sciences & Animal
Husbandry SKUAST-K Alusteng,
Ganderbal
Kashmir
Homogenization refers to the process of forcing the
milk through a homogenizer with the object of sub
dividing the fat globules to a size of 2 µ dia. or less.
• Piston driven valve homogenizers are used which
subject milk to high velocity turbulent flow fields.
• Homogenizers are sometimes incorporated in the
pasteurizer and operated at or near pasteurization
Temp.
• This has the advantage of permitting lower pressures
to be used and reducing problems due to microbial
contamination.
Homogenizer types:
1. High Pressure:
• Single acting triplex positive piston pump (Similar to a
car engine) with each cylinder having a suction and
discharge valve leading to a common discharge pipe
containing 1or 2 homogenizing valves. Pump is turned
by motor through connecting rods and crankshaft
• Milk forced under pressure(~500-5000psi) through an
orifice
• Fat globules are broken apart and remain dispersed in a
stable emulsion in the milk serum
2. Low pressure- Rotary type: Grinding & shearing action
of fat under low pressure (~ 500 psi)
3. The sonic vibrators or oscillator: milk subjected to high
frequency vibrations
Mechanism :
o As milk first enters the valve, liquid velocity is
about 4 to 6 m/s.
oIt then moves into the gap between the valve and
the valve seat and its velocity is increased to 120
meter/sec in about 0.2 milliseconds.
o The milk then moves across the face of the valve
seat (the land) and exits in about 50 microseconds.
o The homogenization phenomenon is completed
before the fluid leaves the area between the valve
and the seat, and therefore emulsification is
initiated and completed in less than 50 microsec.
oThe whole process occurs between 2 pieces of steel
in a steel valve assembly.
oThe product may then pass through a second stage
valve similar to the first stage.
oWhile most of the fat globule reduction takes place
in the first stage, there is a tendency for clustering of
the reduced fat globules.
oThe second stage valve permits the separation of
those clusters into individual fat globules.
Theories, explaining the reduction in size of the fat globules:
Turbulence
Energy, dissipating in the liquid going through the
homogenizer valve, generates intense turbulent eddies of the
same size as the average globule diameter. Globules are thus torn
apart by these eddie currents reducing their average size.
Cavitation
Considerable pressure drop with the change of velocity of fluid
results in cavitations
 Cavitations generate further eddies that would produce
disruption of the fat globules
Increased pressure increases velocity
The high velocity gives liquid a high kinetic energy which is
disrupted in a very short period of time
Dissipation of this energy leads to a high energy density
(energy per volume and time).
Resulting diameter is a function of energy density.
 Factors contributing to stability of homogenized
milk :
1. Decrease in the mean dia. of FG (a factor in stokes law “
velocity at which a sphere will rise or fall in a liquid varies as the square of its
diameter”)

2. Decrease in the size distribution of FG- causing the

speed of rise to be similar for majority of the
globules so that they don’t tend to cluster during
creaming
3. Increase in density of globules owing to the
adsorption of a protein membrane bringing them
closer to the continuous phase
4. Heat pasteurization breaks down the cryo-globulin
complex (IgM+ lipoprotein complex) which tends to
cluster fat globules causing them to rise.
Efficiency of homogenization:
 Farrall index : Efficiency is excellent when upon
microscopic examination average Diameter of 90%
fat globules ≤ 2 µ
 Creaming index:
50 ml homogenized milk in 2 centrifuge tubes
Centrifuge (1200 – 1500 rpm/ 15min.)
 Take upper 5 ml from each tube and test for fat
Mix the rest of the two left over portions of two
tubes and carry out fat test
Creaming index = [(f1-f2)/f1]X100
Interpretation scale:
≤10 = Excellent
10-20 = Very good
20-30 = Good
30 = Fair
>30 = Poor
e.g.:
Fat in upper 5 ml (f1)= 3.5%
Fat in lower portion (f2) = 2.9%
Creaming index = (f1-f2)/f1x 100

= 3.5 – 2.9 x100 = 17%

3.5
Very good
Alternative Method:
Homogenized milk in a measuring cylinder
Keep quiescent for 48 hrs.
Two layers are formed
Take fat test of both layers

Creaming index = [(f1-f2)/f1]X100

Effects:
 6x in Fat Globule surface area
 Adsorption of major amounts of Casein & casein
micelles on to the newly created milk fat globule
surface
 Foaming properties
 Heat stability (of high fat products)
 Curd tension
 Viscosity
 Susceptibility to lipolytic enzyme action
 Susceptibility to the formation of light induced/
oxidized flavor
 Homogenization Effects:
Fat globule No 15 MPa
Homogenization (2500 psig)
Av. diam. (µ m) 3.3 0.4
Max. diam. (µ m) 10 2
Surf. area (m2/ml of 0.08 0.75
milk)
Number of globules (µ 0.02 12
m-3)
Factors affecting homogenization :

 Type of valve
 Pressure
 Single or two-stage
 Fat content
 Surfactant type and content
 Viscosity
 Temperature
 Droplet diameter (the smaller, the more
difficult to disrupt), and the log diameter which
decreases linearly with log P and levels off at
high pressures.