Salts in Milk

Abstract

The milk salts are mainly phosphates, citrates, chlorides, sulphates, carbonates and bicarbonates of sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium. Approximately 20 other elements are found in milk in trace amounts, including copper, iron, zinc, and iodine. Strictly speaking, the proteins of the milk should be included as part of the salt system because they carry positively and negatively charged groups and can form salts with counter-ions; however, they are not always considered as such. There is no lactate in freshly drawn milk but it may be present in stored milk and in milk products. The salts in milk are key in nutrition, as well as in the preparation, processing and storage of milk products due to their influence on the conformation and stability of milk proteins, especially caseins, and to a lesser extent on the stability of lipids and the activity of some indigenous enzymes.