Getting past pasteurization: consider high-pressure processing of dairy foods and beverages
New technologies don’t use heat to preserve dairy foods. The microbiological quality of pressure-treated milk is comparable to that of thermally pasteurized milk.
By V.M. (Bala) Balasubramaniam and Sergio I. Martinez-Monteagudo, The Ohio State University
Dairy products have been a key component of a healthy diet and a source of many nutrients. The industry has employed time-tested and validated thermal pasteurization and sterilization technologies to ensure consumer confidence. However, changes in consumers’ health and wellness-oriented lifestyles and their perceptions about nutrition have redefined the desired attributes in the processed foods they would like to have.