Long-Life Milk Brings New Opportunities For Dairy Suppliers Worldwide
As the innovator, Europe has been the world’s main supplier of long-life milk for over half a century now. A type of milk that goes through a special process of heating at about 140 degrees Celsius for a very short period of time (about 3 seconds). The resulting liquid milk when packed inside an air-sealed container can last for many months without spoiling.
This is a fantastic way of delivering milk in liquid form to countries and regions of the world that do not produce their own fresh milk locally; places that traditionally milk powder has been the only means for the locals to enjoy milk’s nutritional benefits.
Known also by its production name UHT milk for ultra-high-temperature treated milk, the product has a storage life span of over 12 months. Moreover, this product while kept inside its sealed container, only needs to be kept in normal room temperature to last that long; no special refrigeration is required.
This characteristic makes the UHT milk to be highly cost effective as it doesn’t require any refrigeration and its long life allows for expanded time allowing importers and distributors to do their job of delivering liquid milk into the hands of their customers.
Why UHT Milk?
For all US milk drinkers having fresh milk for breakfast or alongside other meals may seem rudimentary. Thanks to the rapid pasteurization process and transportation facilities available in the country, daily produced milk is delivered on to breakfast tables quickly and easily.
In other parts of the world, this is not the case.
For many countries in Africa, Asia, or Far East, rapid transportation and adequate refrigeration facilities are simply not an option while in other parts of the world, if available, they are very expensive.
In these countries for a long time, milk powder has been the traditional solution for delivering the nutrition values of the milk to the consumers. Various techniques — such as spray drying — has provided the means for sterilized and cost-effective delivery and storage of the milk for such countries.
But the problem is, dried milk is not the same as liquid milk. It comes with an after taste when mixed with water to turn it back into liquid milk.
Gradually in many parts of the world, UHT milk is taking over the place of dried milk. It is also favored in many parts of Europe, as it is a very cost-effective way of drinking liquid milk.
UHT milk production and its global market has been expanding exponentially in recent years as consumers and dairy market professionals come to realize the true values of long-life milk.
Robert Hays is the Marketing and Media Relations Manager at DANA Dairy Group; a global provider of milk and dairy products including UHT long life milk. Web URL: http://www.danadairy.com/uht-milk-in-tetra-packs/
