A model for predicting salt equilibria in milk and mineral-enriched milks

The aim of this work was to present an original model predicting salt equilibria between the micellar and aqueous phases in milk and mineral-enriched milks. Calculations were based on interactions between cations (calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium) and anions (citrate, chloride, inorganic phosphate and total caseins) according to their reciprocal affinity and considering pH, ionic strength, and solubility of calcium phosphate. In order to validate the model, the theoretical salt equilibria in milk and milks enriched with different salts (CaCl2, NaCl, phosphate and citrate) at pH 6.75 were compared with experimental results published in the literature. Comparison of simulated results to known values reported in the literature showed a good agreement. In conclusion, this model constitutes an interesting tool for simulating salt equilibria in milk in order to prepare various dairy formulations with different concentrations of minerals and caseins.