Experiments on the use of antioxidants in spray-dried whole-milk powder

Of a number of substances tested for antioxidant activity in laboratory-made spray-dried milk powder, ascorbic acid and ethyl gallate proved most promising. Both of these substances materially increased the resistance of the powder to the development of tallowiness without producing any foreign flavour in the milk. 2. The actitivy of both substances has been confirmed in factory-made spray-dried powder, ethyl gallate being much the more powerful of the two. Ethyl gallate at a concentration of 0·07% increased the storage life of powder in the accelerated tests 2½–3-fold. 3. Ethyl gallate remained unchanged during storage of the powder, but the concentration of ascorbic acid decreased, rapidly at first and then more slowly.