Sweetened Condensed Milk
Sweetened condensed milk is cow milk from which roughly 60 percent of the water has been removed under vacuum and to which sucrose has been added, giving a viscous, pale cream to light amber liquid that is shelf stable without sterilisation. A typical composition is around 8 percent milk fat, 20 percent milk solids not fat and 43 to 45 percent added sugar, with total solids near 74 percent.
Its stability rests on osmotic pressure rather than heat. The sugar dissolved in the remaining water gives a sugar in water phase of about 62 to 64 percent, a water activity low enough that most spoilage organisms cannot grow, so the product needs only pasteurisation before evaporation rather than a retort process. This is what separates it from evaporated milk, which contains no added sugar and is sterilised in the can.
The product is fully miscible with water and disperses in hot liquid with stirring. Viscosity rises during storage as the casein micelles slowly aggregate, and age thickening to the point of gelation is the main shelf life limit. Lactose crystallisation is controlled by seeding at the cooling stage; coarse crystals give the sandy texture that is the other classic defect. Prolonged warm storage darkens the colour through Maillard reaction between lactose and milk protein.
We source bulk Sweetened Condensed Milk from top China manufacturers for our partners. The manufacturer is in Zhejiang. A smaller requirement can ship in a combined container with other ingredients.
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- Function
- Protein
Specifications
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Appearance | Viscous homogeneous liquid, pale cream to light amber |
| Flavour and Odour | Clean sweet milk character, free from scorched or oxidised notes |
| Texture | Smooth, free from sandiness or lactose grain |
| Milk Fat | ≥ 8.0% |
| Milk Solids Not Fat | ≥ 20.0% |
| Total Milk Solids | ≥ 28.0% |
| Added Sucrose | 43.0 to 45.0% |
| Total Solids | 72.0 to 76.0% |
| Sugar in Water Phase | 62.0 to 64.5% |
| Water Activity | ≤ 0.86 |
| Titratable Acidity (as lactic acid) | ≤ 0.35% |
| Lead | ≤ 0.02 mg/kg |
| Total Plate Count | ≤ 500 cfu/g |
| Yeast and Mould | ≤ 10 cfu/g |
| Coliforms | Negative in 1 g |
| Salmonella | Negative in 25 g |
Common Markets Grades
Full cream sweetened condensed milk is the reference product, defined by minimum milk fat and total milk solids. Partly skimmed and skimmed versions are traded at lower fat levels for baking and confectionery, and a filled version in which the milk fat has been replaced by vegetable fat, usually palm or coconut, is a large volume product in Asian markets and must be labelled as sweetened condensed milk with vegetable fat rather than as milk.
Beyond fat level, the trade distinguishes a bulk industrial grade shipped in drums or totes for further processing from a retail grade filled into lacquered cans, tubes or squeeze bottles. Recombined product, made by reconstituting skimmed milk powder, anhydrous milk fat and sugar rather than starting from liquid milk, is a distinct manufacturing route used where fresh milk supply is limited, and it is specified on the same compositional basis.
Applications
- Bakery fillings and cheesecakes, where the high solids give body without adding free water to the batter
- Caramel and dulce de leche, produced by heating the product so that lactose and protein brown together
- Milk based confectionery such as fudge and toffee, contributing both sugar and milk solids to the cook
- Ice cream and frozen dessert bases, where it raises solids and depresses the freezing point
- Coffee and tea beverages in southeast Asian and Latin American formats, added directly as both sweetener and whitener
- Sweetened yoghurt and dessert toppings, where its viscosity holds a poured layer in place
- Bread and bun doughs, where the milk protein and residual lactose promote crust colour
- Retail table use in tubes and cans for direct application to fruit, pancakes and desserts
- Reconstituted beverage bases in food service, diluted with hot water to a milk drink
Brands Using Sweetened Condensed Milk
Widely-distributed consumer products that list Sweetened Condensed Milk on the ingredient label.
Brand names, product names and logos are the property of their owners. They appear here as published evidence that the ingredient is used, taken from the brand's own label or website. Their appearance is not an endorsement, and it does not mean the brand buys from us or from any manufacturer listed on this site.
China Manufacturers of Sweetened Condensed Milk
Top Sweetened Condensed Milk manufacturers in China.
Company names and logos are the property of the manufacturers themselves. They are listed here because our own directory records them as producing this ingredient. A listing is not an endorsement by them, and we do not represent them or speak on their behalf.
Regulatory Status
In the United States, sweetened condensed milk is a standardised food with an identity standard in 21 CFR 131.120, which sets minimum milk fat and total milk solids, permits certain optional ingredients and requires that the product be sealed in a container and preserved by the added sugar. Products that depart from the standard, including those using vegetable fat, must be labelled with a name that distinguishes them from the standardised food.
In the European Union, the directive on certain partly or wholly dehydrated preserved milk covers the product, defines sweetened condensed milk and its skimmed variants by minimum fat and total milk solids and reserves the sales descriptions for products meeting those definitions. It is a food rather than an additive, so no E number applies, although any additives used, such as stabilising salts, must be permitted under the additives regulation. Milk is a declarable allergen. Codex has adopted a standard for sweetened condensed milks setting compositional minima and permitted additives, and the Codex code of hygienic practice for milk and milk products applies to manufacture.
Manufacturing Process
Raw milk is received, tested, clarified and standardised to the fat and solids not fat ratio required for the finished specification. Sugar is added either as a syrup blended into the milk before evaporation or as dry sugar dissolved into the concentrate late in the process; the syrup route is more common in continuous plants. The sweetened milk is preheated at 85 to 100 degrees Celsius for a controlled hold, which pasteurises it and denatures the whey proteins to a degree that determines the viscosity of the finished product.
Evaporation takes place in a multiple effect falling film evaporator under vacuum at 50 to 60 degrees Celsius, concentrating the milk to about 74 percent total solids. The hot concentrate is cooled rapidly under agitation in a crystallisation vessel, and finely milled lactose seed is added at around 30 degrees Celsius to force the supersaturated lactose to crystallise as a large number of very small crystals, which is what keeps the texture smooth. The cooled product is held, then filled into cans, drums or tubes and seamed. No sterilisation follows, so filling hygiene and can seam integrity are the critical control points.
