Eureka! Institutional Repository

A series of samples of unsweetened condensed cow’s milk packed in tin or aluminum cans were examined as far as any changes in their physicochemical characteristics occurred during their storage up to 96 months the tinned cans and up to 48 months the aluminum ones. Moreover, the corrosion rate of the empty cans was assessed by measuring the changes in concentration of metals migrated to milk from the container in relation to their storage time.The results indicated that phase separation in the contents of the cans occurred and the amount of the precipitate formed was proportional to the storage time. The pH of the milk was reduced with the storage time as well as the viscosity of the liquid phase. The colour of the milk was darkened due to browning reactions occurred during the heat treatment of the cans. The iron content of the cans was increased substantially more than the tin content suggesting that the corrosion mechanism in the tinned cans was that of pitting corrosion.