Comparison of Glass Transition Temperature and Sticky Point Temperature for Skim Milk Powder

Wall deposition of particles in spray dryers is a key processing problem, and information about the glass transition temperature of the amorphous material that arises from spray drying can be used to guide the selection of operating conditions that may minimise wall deposition. The glass transition temperatures for skim milk powder with various moisture contents were determined using Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), and a repeatable glass transition temperature diagram was established from these results. The glass transition temperature decreased as the moisture content increased, as expected (low moisture content 1.65 g/100 g of dry powder, glass transition temperature 87.7°C; high moisture content 4.52 g/100 g of dry powder, glass transition temperature 46.7°C). The glass transition temperature was found to be virtually the same as the sticky-point temperature measured using a thermo-mechanical test. The difference is essentially due to the difference between doing a mechanical test for viscosity (sticky-point) and a phase transition measurement (DSC).