I’ve never even heard of this before, but apparently the process of crushing milk results in longer lasting milk.
Crushing milk at high pressures could help it last for seven weeks in the refrigerator without the unfavorable flavors associated with other long-lasting milks, researchers now report.
Conventionally, milk is pasteurized, or heated at high temperatures to kill harmful germs, at roughly 160 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 seconds. While pasteurization kills most germs, it does not wipe out bacterial spores, the dormant versions of the germs, which are extremely resistant to any form of destruction. Bacterial spores and remaining germs eventually spoil conventionally pasteurized milk, which is why it typically has a shelf life of only about 20 days when refrigerated.
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The researchers found pressurizing milk at 85,000 pounds per square inch for five minutes at about 130 degrees kills germs while retaining the taste of fresh milk. The result is milk that stays fresh at least 45 days in the refrigerator. If the researchers can make this process commercially viable, Torres anticipated such milk could appear on the market in three to five years.
The article also mentions heating milk to as high as 300 degrees, resulting in milk that lasts up to 6 months unrefrigerated, but that this milk has not done well in the US due to associated strong flavors the process generates.
[tags]Crushed milk better than pasteurized, Milk purified via pressure lasts longer[/tags]