Storage of milk powders under adverse conditions. I. Losses of lysine and of other essential amino acids as determined by chemical and microbiological methods.

Whole-milk powders containing 25 g water/kg were stored for up to 9 weeks in sealed aluminium containers at elevated temperatures. Lysine and other essential amino acids were measured by chemical and microbiological methods. Storage at 60 degrees resulted in the progressive formation of lactulosyl-lysine. After 9 weeks, 30% of the lysine groups were present in this form. The powders still retained their natural colour and the levels of tryptophan, methionine, cyst(e)ine and leucine remained unchanged. Storage at 70 degrees resulted in the formation of lactulosyl-lysine followed by its complete degradation with the development of browning. Available tryptophan, methione, leucine and isoleucine decreased progressively during storage. The different methods for lysine determination gave widely dissimilar results. The direct fluorodinitrobenzene (FDNB) technique and reactive lysine from furosine were considered to be the most reliable methods. The FDNB-difference, dye-binding lysine, Tetrahymena and Pediococcus methods all seriously underestimated reactive or available lysine in heat-damaged milk powders. Tetrahymena and Pediococcus appeared to utilize lactulosyl-lysine as a source of lysine. The results are discussed in relation to storage and distribution of milk powders in hot climates.