Changes in the carbohydrate fraction of milk during heating processes

Carbohydrate composition of commercial pasteurized, UHT, sterilized and dried milk samples, and laboratory heat-treated milks was determined by gas-liquid chromatography. Glucose, galactose and lactulose were present in all types of commercial milk samples. The concentrations of galactose and lactulose increase with the severity of the heating process. The amount of glucose present in commercial milks was similar to that found in unheated milk. Epilactose was only detected in sterilized milk samples. UHT and sterilized milks can be differentiated by their lactulose, galactose or epilactose content.