The effect of pressure-assisted thermal processing (PATP) in combination with seven synthetic antioxidants was evaluated on the retention of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) in enriched milk. Milk rich in CLA was first saturated with oxygen, followed by the addition of either catechin, cysteine, ascorbic acid, tannic acid, gallic acid, caffeic acid or p-coumaric acid (500 mg kg-¹ untreated milk). Samples were treated at 600 MPa and 120 °C up to 15 min of holding time. During PATP, CLA not only oxidized at a slower rate, but also less oxygen was consumed compared to the control (0.1 MPa and 120 °C). In addition, phenolic antioxidants were able to quench dissolved oxygen in samples treated with PATP. For those samples added with gallic acid and catechin, 85% and 75% of the CLA was retained after 15 min of holding time at 600 MPa and 120 °C, respectively. The retention of CLA was enhanced by the application of PATP in combination with gallic acid.
Keywords: antioxidants; conjugated linoleic acid; dissolved oxygen; phenolics; pressure-assisted thermal processing.