Heat treatment of whipping cream. I. Fouling of the pasteurization equipment

Whipping cream was heat treated in a plate heat exchanger at about 120°C. The main fouling components of whipping cream appeared to be protein and ash. Fat did not greatly contribute to fouling. The amount of ash in the deposit increased with the temperature level. The correspondence between the calculated denaturation rate of whey protein, and the experimental rate of deposition of potein supports the hypothesis that thermal denaturation of whey protein plays a key role in the fouling process.