The production and distribution of milk and fluid dairy products have changed dramatically during the past 25 years.

The production and distribution of milk and fluid dairy products have changed dramatically during the past 25 years. Some of the more significant developments relate to the decline in the number of small dairy farms and processing plants and the emergence of the large commercial "Super Farms" and highly automated "Super" processing plants with wide distribution areas. These developments, coupled with the widespread trend toward warehouse distribution to stores vs. direct store delivery (DSD) have created a need for increasing the shelf-life of dairy products. Shelf-life extension is a popular topic of discussion at almost all industry conferences and meetings.

Ultra High Temperatures (UHT) and Extended Shelf-Life (ESL) processing and packaging systems are proven methods of extending shelf-life. These processes have gained acceptance for selected low-volume items, but have not been widely utilized for the high-volume fluid milk products. Unfortunately, there are no magic solutions for extending the shelf-life of products processed and packaged using conventional equipment.

Shelf-life can be maximized by strict adherence to the basics in three essential areas of production and distribution. Let's take a brief look at each area:

Raw Milk Quality: Quality starts at the farm and must be maintained through delivery and storage prior to processing. There are three cardinal principles to achieving quality standards:

• Keep it CLEAN-Effective sanitation practices.
• Keep it COLD-Cool quickly and keep temperature below 40