It has been shown that heat is released or absorbed during crystallisation transformation, therefore a DSC
was used to monitor transformation and the Avrami equation applied. Three classes of milk fat fractions
were tested, classified by their melting points (very high, high and low). The following temperature
protocol was used: hold at 80ºC for 5 minutes, cool to 50ºC at a rate of 100ºC/min, hold for 3 minutes, cool
at 100ºC/min to crystallisation temperature of 15, 20 and 25ºC and hold for 3 hours. After 3 hours the
samples where then re-heated to 80ºC at a rate of 20ºC/min and the melting points recorded. The recorded
isothermal DSC data was used to calculate the Avrami constants. Crystal fractions as a function of time
were calculated by integration of the DSC crystallisation curves and an average X found for each tested
condition. The crystalline structure and thus polymorphic form of each sample was determined using an Xray
diffractometer (XRD) after 3 hours of solidification.
Results showed a good fit to the Avrami equation, and plots verses time proved both n and k values. n
values of 4 would suggest spherical crystal development with a constant nucleation rate independent of
time. The original milk fat produced an n of 3, suggesting spherulitic growth, but from instantaneous
nuclei. Tests involving very high melting point milk fractions produced an n value of 2 possibly indicating
plate-like growth, with an initially rapid growth, which depletes with time. These suggested that
differences in chemical composition of fats may lead to different crystallisation mechanisms. It was also
found that the melting points corresponded to the suggested n values, in general the melting point increased
as the n value decreased.