How to prevent sedimentation in chocolate milk

The big difference between chocolate milk and other types of dairy products is the insolubility of the cocoa particles, according to Thomas Hvid Kruuse, Palsgaard’s Senior Application Specialist for Dairy and Ice Cream.

He says: “Cocoa particles are very visible in the milk because cocoa is insoluble. It means that very quickly you will see cocoa particles sink to the bottom as sediment if your system doesn't work.

“It’s always been a challenge for chocolate milk compared with other kinds of flavoured milk, and for this reason, this flavour of milk is widely used for testing the properties of new stabilisers, because it’s easy to see when the stabiliser is working.”

From a consumer’s point of view, chocolate milk with a layer of sediment at the bottom of the bottle is not visually appealing. It also affects the taste, because the beverage can be very thin with very little chocolate flavour, most of it having sunk to the bottom.

Thomas notes that some producers have tried marketing tactics to help alleviate this problem.

The value of dosage

From Palsgaard’s point of view, understanding the customer’s requirements from the initial stages is hugely important because it helps when working out the appropriate stabiliser dosage amounts. In addition, when working with carrageenan a great deal of caution is required, because the margin between underdosing and overdosing is very narrow, as Thomas explains.

He says: “You can under-stabilise the product with your emulsifier-stabiliser system, but you can also over-stabilise it, and that is equally as bad.

“If you over-stabilise then you will most likely see a jelly-like or lumpy texture appearing in the chocolate milk and when you look at the bottle you often see a marbled effect to the drink. This can happen with a very small difference in dosage, so it’s really important for us to get the dosage exactly right.”

Calculating the dosage of the carrageenan depends on several factors including the fat content of the milk. Higher fat demands less stabiliser, for example.

The cocoa content is also important because a higher level of cocoa also requires less stabiliser.

And finally, the heat treatment makes a difference here too. Sterilisation for example demands less stabiliser than UHT treatment, which again requires less stabiliser than a pasteurised product.

An alternative stabiliser base to carrageenan is Microcrystalline cellulose (MCC). This doesn’t react with the milk proteins in the same way as carrageenan and so the risk of separation due to overdosing is less. However, overdosing can result in high viscosity.

Chocolate milk expertise

Palsgaard has supplied the dairy industry with high-quality emulsifiers and stabilisers for decades. 

Thomas adds: “Over the years we have built up a lot of knowledge here at Palsgaard and so now we know a lot about chocolate milk. When I see a certain composition, I will always calculate its level of solids and the protein content, and I know what to recommend. I then work out the correct dosage levels, which is very important.”

Palsgaard’s equipment allows the company to work with pasteurised, UHT-treated and sterilised products and to make shelf-life studies covering the entire shelf-life of the chocolate milk.

Thomas has also worked with customers to help to create cost-effective recipes.

He says: “Some of our customers, particularly those in Africa, like to use cheap whey powders instead of skimmed milk powder, because the latter is quite expensive.
“So I have helped these customers to develop cost-effective recipes, together with Palsgaard’s stabliser systems.”

All the products in the Palsgaard® ChoMilk portfolio can help to create a uniform product without visible creaming and sedimentation and with a pleasant creaminess and mouthfeel.