Sugar added concentrated milk - Sweetened condensed milk

Sweetened condensed milk (SCM) is one of the oldest industrially produced dairy products. The method of preserving milk by sterilizing evaporated milk in sealed containers was developed at the beginning of the 1880s. Earlier, in about 1850, the method of preserving evaporated milk by the addition of sugar had been perfected by an American. Gail Borden was the first to conceive and patent a process for condensing milk which proved practical and resulted in the development of a patent on the condensing process in 1856.

Sweetened condensed milks are milk products which can be obtained by the partial removal of water from milk with the addition of sugar, or by any other process which leads to a product of the same composition and characteristics.

Fresh milk is clarified and standardized to a suitable level of fat, and it is then heat treated at 85–90 °C for several seconds. This heating process acts as a hurdle, which destroys the majority of microorganisms. It also decreases fat separation and inhibits oxidation. The water content of the milk is reduced due to evaporation.

The high sugar concentration in sweetened condensed milk increases the osmotic pressure to such a level that most of the microorganisms are destroyed. This product is not heat treated after packaging as its high sugar content preserves it for a long shelf-life. The sugar concentration in the water phase must not be less than 62.5 % or more than 64.5 %.

Condensed milk is a convenient product for household use, processing, as it does satisfactory keeping qualities, it is particular useful on-board ship and in the tropics.

Condensed milk products have several advantages over fresh milk, such as they require less storage space, they retain high quality, they preserve milk’s valuable surplus nutrients, and they reduce transportation costs.
Sugar added concentrated milk - Sweetened condensed milk

Sweetened Condensed milk in history

Sweetened considered milk is preserved by addition of sugar which reduces water activity to a point to most microorganisms.

After witnessing the death of children who drank raw milk from diseased cows during the long voyage across the Atlantic, Gail Borden Junior was determined to figure out how to make milk safer. He came up with a way to remove the water based on method the Shakers had used for extracting water from fruit juice.

He accidentally discovered that adding sugar to milk increases the shelf life, making it a popular choice for troops at military camps. Borden received the first patent for sweetened condensed milk in 1856.

The popularity of sweetened condensed milk began after it was shipped to troops during the Civil War. Up to the 1890s, sweetened condensed milk was long shelf-life format that was sold in hermetically sealed cans, while unweetened condensed milk was manufactured and sold open, largely directly to the consumer, in a similar way as market milk.

In the 1860s, the Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk Company was established in Switzerland by then US Consul at Zurich, Switzerland, Charles Page and his brother George. Their first factory was built in 1866 at Cham, Switzerland.  
Sweetened Condensed milk in history

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