Exploring predictive kinetic modelling of thermal degradation from laboratory to production scale – a case study on three vitamins in milk

Kinetic thermal degradation models are vital components for optimization of food and bioproducts processing. Typically, models are fitted to laboratory scale experiments where vials are heated and held. However, these conditions are highly dissimilar from the thermal processes experienced in industrial production. Whereas fitting kinetic data to industrial scale production is often impossible due to cost and flexibility issues, this discrepancy between what is typically measured and what the models are intended for could be of concern. This study presents a case study where traditional laboratory experiments are fitted to vitamin degradation kinetic models in milk (vitamins B1, B2, and E). The best fitted kinetic models are then validated using five, carefully controlled industrial scale dairy processes. Results show that predictions are surprisingly close to the validation data (mean relative percentual deviation is -1.1%–+3% depending on vitamin), given the substantial difference between the laboratory and production scale setup. This offers empirical support for the conventional method of fitting kinetic parameters through simplified laboratory experiments to predict vitamin degradation during industrial scale processing of foods and bioproducts.