What is ultra-pasteurized dairy?
What is ultra-filtered milk?
Are they healthy choices?
The 4 Types of Milk Pasteurization
Low-temperature pasteurized milk differs greatly from high-temperature and ultra filtered pasteurized milk. Differences include flavor, nutritional value, and shelf life. There are four methods of dairy pasteurization: batch (vat) pasteurized, high temp short time pasteurized (HTST), ultra-pasteurized (UP) or ultra-high temp pasteurized, and ultra-filtered pasterized (the newest of them all)
Batch-pasteurization at Low Temps
A batch pasteurizer consists of a temperature-controlled, closed vat. Operators pump the milk into the vat and heat it slowly to 145°. They hold it at that temperature for a minimum of 30 minutes, cool it, and then pump it out of the vat. This method remains rare today; local and regional creameries mainly use it. Low-temperature pasteurization destroys dangerous pathogens, but keeps the helpful bacteria our bodies need! Lower temperatures also preserve the fabulous, farm-fresh flavor of the milk.
High Temp Short Time Pasteurization
To pasteurize larger quantities of milk in a more efficient manner, creameries began developing new processes as early as 1893. Today, high temp short time (HTST) is the most common form of pasteurization in the milk industry. Milk flows continuously through a series of thin metal plates that hot water heats in an HTST processor. The process heats the milk to a minimum of 161° F for at least 15 seconds, and then rapidly cools it.
Ultra-High Temp (UHT or UP) Pasteurization
Ultra-pasteurized (UP) milk is heated to a minimum of 280° F and held for 2 seconds, while ultra-high temperature (UHT) milk is heated to temperatures between 275° and 300° F. Both of these methods use commercially sterile equipment to produce a shelf-stable product that does not require refrigeration before opening. The goal of using UP or UHT pasteurization is to extend the shelf life and create a shelf-stable product.
Ultra-filtered (UF) milk
UF milk is produced by passing pasteurized milk through a specialized, fine-pored membrane under pressure, which separates it into components based on molecular size. This process removes water, minerals, and lactose (sugar) while concentrating the larger protein and fat molecules. The resulting mixture is then standardized by re-adding water, fat, or lactose-breaking enzymes (lactase) to achieve a higher-protein product with a longer, ultra-pasteurized shelf life.
How Do I Tell the Difference?
Check the label! Manufacturers must include the pasteurization method on product packaging. You will find this information in various places on the label. See examples below!
Fairllilfe is owned by the Coca-Cola Company
Don’t be fooled by the word “Ultra” When it Comes to Dairy
“Ultra” may sound like a good thing, but beware! When it comes to dairy products, the term “ultra” is an identifier of overly-processed dairy. The purpose of UP or UHT pasteurization is to extend the shelf life of products and make them shelf-stable. With UP or UHT pasteurized dairy, you lose the farm fresh flavor and the good bacteria. And the purpose of ultra-filtration is to create “engineered milk.”
What’s wrong with UHT processing?
The introduction to a 2005 study published in the Journal of Dairy Science highlighted the current problems with UHT processing from an industry point of view:
Often, heat treatment causes milkfat globule membrane proteins and whey proteins to unfold such that buried sulfhydryl (-SH-) groups, normally masked in the native protein, are exposed to the outer surfaces (Hoffmann and van Mill, 1997). In turn, these processes produce extreme cooked flavors, often attributed to changes in the sulfhydryl and disulfide content of the protein fraction (Swaisgood et al., 1987). Conventional pasteurization methods have long been in place and with the advent of UHT technology, the sterilization of fluid milk was achieved using higher temperature treatments for shorter periods. However, shelf-stable milk has met with limited acceptability by the consumer, especially in the United States, due in part to a high cooked flavor. Several attempts to improve the quality of UHT-treated milk products proved successful to varying degrees. Previously, Swaisgood and coworkers used immobilized sulfhydryl oxidase to reduce the thiol content of UHT-heated skim milk and described an improved flavor after enzymatic oxidation to form protein disulfide bonds (Swaisgood et al., 1987). Other studies have showed that altering UHT processing parameters, such as indirect vs. direct steam injection systems, cooling rates, and long-term storage conditions have a significant impact on sensory attributes (Browning et al., 2001). Most recently, epicatechin, a flavonoid compound, was added to UHT milk prior to heating, and the results revealed partial inhibition of thermally generated cooked aroma (Colahan-Sederstrom and Peterson, 2005).
Ultra-filtered (UF) milk Processing
UF milk is produced by passing pasteurized milk through a specialized, fine-pored membrane under pressure, which separates it into components based on molecular size. This process removes water, minerals, and lactose (sugar) while concentrating the larger protein and fat molecules. The resulting mixture is then standardized by re-adding water, fat, or lactose-breaking enzymes (lactase) to achieve a higher-protein product with a longer, ultra-pasteurized shelf life.
That’s like fake meat companies claiming their “burgers” contain 20g of protein. Ok, sure, they contain 20g of protein but what is the protein source of your vegan meat?
SAME THING!
Pioneer Pasture’s is another milk I would stay away from…..
Look at the ingredients above then check out the link below!
But what makes UHT processing any worse than regular old pasteurization?
Let’s start where the milk does — raw. The components of raw milk are extremely fragile. The milk proteins are complex and three dimensional, meant to be broken down when digested by special enzymes that fit into the proteins like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.
When you rapidly heat milk, it denatures the proteins, flattening them so the enzymes can’t do what they’re supposed to do. In other words, it makes the milk protein significantly harder to digest! Look at what happens when milk is ultra-pasteurized at high temperatures versus when it is pasteurized at low temperatures:
“Whey protein denaturation plateaued at about 88% following a UHT heat treatment of 149°C for 10 s. However, it reached about 88% with a vat heat treatment of 82°C for 5 min and reached 95 to nearly 100% after 10 to 15 min. Vat processing under pasteurizing conditions at 63°C for 30 min resulted in less than 10% denaturation.”
(source)
No wonder more and more people are starting to think of themselves as intolerant to casein (the protein found in milk).
Not only do pasteurization and UHT processing kill off the enzymes present in milk needed to digest the casein, the casein itself is altered to the point of being indigestible!
Where To Buy RAW MILK
The best way to find real milk is to seek out local sources. Since raw cow’s milk sales are restricted dramatically in most places, you’ll have to “go underground” to find it. A limited listing of raw milk dairies can be found online at www.realmilk.com.
Non-Raw Milk Options
If raw milk is not your thing (I get it!), I really like the two brands below which do a low temp, batch pasturization while still preserving all the nutrients.
Lowest-Temp Vat Pasteurized
ORGANIC & REGENERATIVE DAIRY
Other Best Dairy Milks (full fat only)
Best Dairy Milk Powders
