Dairy Foods Columnists - Articles

Maximize the shelf life of ice cream and related products

Multiple elements combine to define ‘end of shelf-life.’

May 7, 2020

Understanding and managing the shelf life of ice cream and related products is difficult enough. Maximizing (i.e., extending) the shelf life is the study of a lifetime.

Speed up pathogen testing in dairy operations

Faster pathogen testing is an opportunity for dairy processors

April 27, 2020

Recent innovations in pathogen testing have made tests faster and more accurate than before.

Don’t give up on cottage cheese

The cultured product is breaking out of its diet-food reputation

John A. Lucey Ph.D., Director, Center for Dairy Research

April 24, 2020

For years, cottage cheese sat quietly on the shelf in the dairy case while other dairy products such as yogurt took over entire coolers with numerous brands, dozens of flavors and an assortment of packaging options.

Novel use of non-sucrose sweeteners and bulking agents in ice cream, frozen desserts

Given the variety of non-sucrose sweeteners and other considerations, attaining ‘sucrose-like’ sweetness and functionality will remain challenging

Steven Young

Bill Sipple

April 9, 2020

Sucrose (i.e., sugar) remains the "gold standard" among all sweeteners. However, when considering novel applications, including approaches to cost reduction, reducing "total sugars" or reducing calories, alternatives to sucrose may be more appropriate.

No clear definition for ethical dairy

Animal welfare labels are an emerging space to watch

Sharon Gerdes

April 3, 2020

Ethically produced can mean different things for different food categories. For chocolate, it might be fair trade; for eggs, cage-free. But what does it mean for dairy?

Here’s to a boring and successful appropriations process

Last year was mercifully dull on the budget front, and it looks like FY2021 could, thankfully, be a repeat performance

Tony Eberhard

March 27, 2020

Boring is good, at least when it comes to the federal appropriations process that is about to begin anew for fiscal year (FY) 2021. When an appropriations bill makes it into the headlines, it usually means trouble.

How to estimate the shelf life of fluid milk

The critical factor is the generation time of any bacteria that may be in the product

Charles H. White

March 25, 2020

The shelf life of milk is the number of days it retains a desirable taste flavor when held at refrigerated temperatures. Temperature is critical to maximize shelf life.

Propel the dairy industry into the future

The industry should focus on potential areas of growth

Gregory Miller

March 25, 2020

The world's population is projected to grow by one-third over the next 30 years, requiring a dramatic increase in food production with fewer natural resources.

2019 State of the Industry: US dairy exports lose their pass line bets

US-China trade deal will loosen some nontariff barriers

But until additional tariffs are removed, dairy exports to China are unlikely to grow substantially

Nate Donnay

March 23, 2020

On Jan. 15, 2020, the United States and China signed "phase one" of a trade deal. The countries' relationship has been trending downward for the past two years, and the deal does mark a possible inflection point.

Processors could tap into the ‘blend trend’

Blending plant based-proteins with dairy proteins can deliver the optimal solution

Terri Rexroat

March 9, 2020

Today's consumers expect a lot from the foods and beverages they consume. They desire clean labels, nutritional/health-related benefits and convenience, all without sacrificing taste.