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

High-pressure treatment (≥500 MPa) of a skim milk powder dispersion leads to stable gel formation in the presence of added sucrose, glucose or fructose. At each milk protein concentration (down to ∼2 wt% micellar casein), the sol–gel phase diagram defines the critical sugar concentration required for pressure-induced gelation. Surprisingly, once the total sugar content exceeds 45–50 wt%, the gelation becomes inhibited again.