Vitamin D2 stability in milk during processing, packaging and storage

- Vitamin D2 was stable in milk during pasteurization, boiling and sterilization.
- Vitamin D2 was stable in milk stored in glass and plastic bottles.
- Vitamin D2 loss was observed after storage of milk in polyethylene pouches.
- Vitamin D2 was stable in milk exposed to light upto 32 h.

Stability of vitamin D2 in milk was determined in vitamin D2 fortified milk. Reverse phase high pressure liquid chromatography was used to determine the vitamin D2 loss during processing, packaging and under light. The percentage losses during pasteurization, boiling and sterilization were demonstrated to be statistically insignificant. Milk was stored for seven days in both glass and plastic bottles under refrigerated temperature, non significant loss of vitamin D2 was observed, whereas, when stored in polyethylene pouches significant loss was observed as vitamin D2 decreased from 596.66 to 548.04 IU. This clearly indicated that vitamin D2 was sorbed up by polyethylene material during storage resulting in its loss. Milk samples were stored for 32 h under three different light intensities (14,852,970 and 4455 lux). Non significant loss of vitamin D2 was observed in glass packaging, whereas significant loss was observed in polyethylene pouches. In milk fortified with both calcium and vitamin D2, non significant effect of calcium was observed on the loss of vitamin D2.