Chemometrics assisted comparative evaluation of the impact of drying and pasteurization methods on the biochemical properties of skimmed camel milk powders

A comparative investigation was conducted to evaluate the effects of multiple drying technologies (spray-drying, vacuum spray drying, and freeze-drying) and pasteurization techniques (UV and thermal) on the biochemical properties of skimmed camel and cow milk powders. ELISA and UPLC analysis, along with chemometric analysis (PLS-DA), were used to assess the retention of key protective proteins (insulin, lactoferrin, IGF-2), and amino acids. Results show that vacuum spray drying combined with UV pasteurization significantly improved the preservation of heat-sensitive compounds, outperforming the conventional spray-drying combined with thermal pasteurization technique. Lysine and glutamic acid emerged as marker amino acids for process impact due to their sensitivity to heat-induced degradation. SDS-PAGE profile along with chemometric analysis highlighted that cow milk proteins are more sensitive to thermal degradation than their camel milk counterparts. As one of the first detailed comparisons applied to camel milk, this study highlights vacuum spray drying as a promising method for retaining nutritional and functional quality. While these findings offer practical insights into dairy processing, further research is needed to assess other important aspects, including functional and morphological properties, as well as industrial scalability. • Synergistic use of Vacuum spray drying with UV pasteurization enhanced preservation of bioactives • Vacuum spray drying reduced the whey protein denaturation by 10%. • Lysine and glutamic acid are sensitive biochemical markers of thermal stress and degradation • Camel milk is less prone to thermal degradation than bovine milk during drying