Why does organic milk last so long?
We don't go thru a lot of milk. Occasionally I have milk in my cereal, or when I need it for making something. Mostly, I just use it for coffee. I have noticed in the past 6 months that the sell by date for organic milk is months after the 'normal' milk. For instance, I bought milk today that doesn't expire until May 20th. At first I was skeptical, but the organic milk hasn't turned the way normal milk does, even after 2 weeks after the sell by date.
As the goofy scientist I am, I can only think that there is something that isn't added to the milk, or that there is some treatment that the organic milk is/isn't gettng.
Any thoughts?
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9 Comments:
Most organic milk is pasteurized at ultra high temperatures. This extends the shelf life considerably.
FoodPorncess at 9:15PM on 03/19/07
Yep. It is UHT milk. Same as the little single serving cups of half and half you can find at convenience store coffee counters. Left out on the counter unrefrigerated.
UHT milk can be left unrefrigerated before opening for months.
I think it tastes horrible.
Allan at 9:49PM on 03/19/07
Just to be clear: ultra-pasteurization is not connected to organic in any way. It just happens that a lot of organic milk is ultra-pasteurized these days, so that it can be transported long distances. And it's becoming a more common practice for non-organic milk as well. Normal pasteurization heats milk to 145°F, killing off most organisms found in milk. Ultra-pasteurization heats milk to 280°F, killing off absolutely everything, and making the milk sterile, hence the extended shelf life. Often ultra-pasteurization is accused of changing the taste of the milk. Many claim it has a burnt taste. Also there are claims that the high heating changes the protein structure of the milk, making it harder to digest.
I don't drink UHT (ultra high temperature) milk because there's basically no nutritional value there. Granted, raw milk advocates claim there's little nutritional value in pasteurized milk either. But at least you can make yogurt with pasteurized milk, and it goes bad. With UHT, neither of those things happen.
Meg Hourihan at 10:00AM on 03/20/07
I thought that the UHT milk was the stuff in the same containers that you can buy soup broth in. I have seen them on normal shelves in the market. I am talking about the stuff in the 'normal' milk containers.
monica at 5:00AM on 03/24/07
I buy organic skim over regular skim because organic skim tastes and looks better than regular skim. I'm not much of a milk drinker, so the longer shelf life is an added bonus.
missm at 12:28PM on 05/16/08
I wonder if that's the reason why I don't get diarrhea from organic milk, but regular milk and even Lactaid gives me diarrhea.
Interesting food...drink...for thought.
Cassaendra at 12:40PM on 05/16/08
Wow this has been very informative.
We started buying the organic low fat milk at Costco even though you have to buy 3 cartons at a time. I wasn't sure if we could consume that much milk before it went bad (mostly for coffee, cereal sometimes, and late night milk and cookies), but the use by date was 6 weeks! So we've been using ultra-pasturized low fat organic milk.
Now, are you telling me that it has no nutritional value?
wookie at 1:04PM on 05/16/08
I found this info while googling this topic...
"According to the American Dietetic Association's Complete Food and Nutrition Guide, "This process of flash heating minimizes loss of nutrients, texture, color and flavor." There is no credible scientific evidence showing a significant nutritional difference between UP and HTST organic milk. In fact, there are no differences in the Nutrition Facts panels for UP and HTST milks."
I always ended up tossing milk, but no more thanks to organic milk.
sandog at 10:53AM on 06/28/08
Initially, I bought it because it's hormone free & organic - thinking it has to be better for me. I really don't drink much milk, but occasionally have cereal at night, need it for a recipe and like it in my coffee. Add another one who was shocked at the shelf life. I live alone and it gets used up before it turns. How nice!
PerkyMac at 11:08AM on 06/28/08