The state diagrams of colostral whey (CW) powders with different additives were determined using freezing curve, glass transition line and maximal-freeze-concentration conditions and effects of different additives on the stability of CW powders were also investigated based on water activity and glass transition concepts. The Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) and Gordon-Taylor equations were used to model water activity/moisture content and glass transition temperatures (T-g)/solids content relationships. The parameters of two models were applied for estimating water activity and T-g at given moisture content. Results showed that addition with maltodextrin into CW powders increased T-g of dry solids (T-gs) from 103.5 to 126.8 degrees C and end point of freezing (T'(m)) from -35.20 to -31.79 degrees C, whereas addition with sucrose decreased T-gs to 80.1 degrees C and T'(m) to -36.18 degrees C, indicating maltodextrin was an excellent drying aid and cryoprotectant. The greater efforts were needed to make to combine the water activity and glass transition concepts for predicting the stability of food materials. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.