A methanol extract of green tea was fractionated on Sephadex LH-20. The compounds eluted were identified by thin layer chromatography as catechinepicatechin, gallocatechin, epigallocatechin, epicatechin gallate and epigallocatechin gallate. When added to milk at 2.0 g/l, these polyphenols, apart from the catechin-epicatechin mixture, increased the heat stability of skim milk, particularly in the region of the minimum (pH 6.8-7.1). When added at 0.4 g/l, green tea polyphenols also increased the heat stability of concentrated milk. The effects of other phenolic compounds on the heat stability of milk were also examined. Chlorogenic acid, guaiacol, thymol, vanillin, butylene hydroxyanisole, propyl gallate and butylene hydroxytoluene did not affect the heat stability of milk or concentrated milk. Quinic acid markedly reduced the heat stability of skim milk. Pyrogallol, catechol, tannic acid, ellagic acid, phloroglucinol and gallate converted a type A heat coagulation time-pH profile to a type B profile. Ferulic acid and vanillic acid increased heat stability in the region of the maximum, with little effect on the minimum, and stability did not recover at pH values on the alkaline side of the minimum. Caffeic acid increased the heat stability of milk while the related non-phenolic compounds 2,5-dimethoxycinnamic acid and 3,4-dimethoxycinnamic acid had no effect.