Sweetened condensed milk

Sweetened condensed milks is an evaporated milk product containing added sugar. The milk intended for the retail market are packed in cans.

In canning sweetened condensed milk, care is taken to avoid condensation on the product surface which might raise the water activity (Aw) sufficiently to support yeast and mould growth in the event of contamination.

This product is not sterilized but is preserved by the high concentration of sugar which raises the osmotic pressure of the product to a level where it is microbiologically stable. The equipment is similar to that used for evaporated milk, except that sugar is added in a hot well before condensing (evaporating) the liquid.

After sugar addition, the milk is subjected to a heat treatment which not only acts as a pasteurization step but also inactivates most of the enzymes which might give rise to spoilage.

According to standards, sweetened condensed milk must contain a minimum of 8.5% fat and 28% total milk solids, including fat (fat to solids-not-fat ratio = 1:2:3). The final product contains 43-45% sugar.

The sugar confectionery industry is a major user, for the production of toffee, caramel and fudge. Toffees made from sweetened condensed milk are normally smoother than those made from milk powder: presumably the milk protein in sweetened condensed milk is in a less damaged form than in milk powder.

The low moisture content of sweetened condensed milk allows a reduction in boiling time and the possibility of hydrolysis of sucrose to fructose and glucose is avoided.
Sweetened condensed milk