76 lines
4.4 KiB
Plaintext
76 lines
4.4 KiB
Plaintext
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| File Name : CO2MILK.ASC | Online Date : 01/15/96 |
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| Contributed by : InterNet | Dir Category : BIOLOGY |
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| From : KeelyNet BBS | DataLine : (214) 324-3501 |
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| KeelyNet * PO BOX 870716 * Mesquite, Texas * USA * 75187 |
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| A FREE Alternative Sciences BBS sponsored by Vanguard Sciences |
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| InterNet email keelynet@ix.netcom.com (Jerry Decker) |
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| Files also available at Bill Beaty's http://www.eskimo.com/~billb |
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Milk Kept Fresh In The Fridge For Months? Yes!
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Imagine milk kept fresh in the refrigerator for months. Far-fetched? Not at
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all, say Cornell University food scientists, who believe they have a way to
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keep dairy products fresh and fortified for several months -carbonation, the
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same kind added to carbonated drinks, but at lower levels.
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"This will further enhance the safety of refrigerated, pasteurized milk by
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ensuring that pathogenic bacteria will not grow," said Joseph H. Hotchkiss,
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Cornell professor of food science. He and colleagues previously demonstrated
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that dissolved CO2 can extend the shelf life of cottage cheese by about 200
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percent. Modified milk has been found to last more than two months in a
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refrigerator, and it still tastes fresh and contains no dangerous
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bacteria.
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While carbonation has been used in soda for more than a century, the process
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has not been applied to milk because the microbial activity of low amounts was
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unknown and because the carbonation would dissipate in milk cartons. Further,
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the method for inserting the carbonation was not efficient. Thanks to advanced
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packaging technologies and more efficient carbonation processes, a new style
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of fortified milk now is possible.
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Consumers needn't worry that milk now will start tasting like soda: the amount
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of carbonation injected into the milk is below the threshold of taste
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detection, according to Hotchkiss, but it is enough to stave off harmful
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bacteria. "How much CO2 must be added depends on a number of factors," he
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said. "The upper limit is the amount which can be tasted in the fluid milk.
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The lower limit depends on the desired shelf life and degree of barrier in the
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package."
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The research was reported in an article, "Modified Atmosphere Packaging of
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Fluid Dairy Foods for Consumer and Institutional Markets," as part of the 1995
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annual report of the Northeast Dairy Foods Research Center, the group that
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funded the study.
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"The amount of CO2 used is very small. The equipment to store and add the CO2
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are relatively simple, and they are a one-time cost," Hotchkiss said. "The
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largest cost generally is in the improved packaging materials and equipment.
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Longer shelf life requires better carton barriers, which cost more."
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While the technology used to insert the CO2 was tested in the cottage cheese
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industry, the cartons to contain the fortified milk are made for the orange
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juice industry. Thanks to ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH) coated cartons,
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Hotchkiss believes that fluid milk will be able to maintain the carbonation.
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"Right now, it's our barrier of choice," he said. "Whether consumers accept
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this new technology or not will be settled in the marketplace." The
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technology could have far-reaching effects beyond the grocer's shelves.
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Hotchkiss said that fluid milk carbonation might have uses during the
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transport of raw milk over long distances. In some parts of the country,
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during the summer in Florida for example, milk is imported from northern
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states because Florida's heat severely reduces dairy production. Injecting CO2
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into raw milk before it is processed improves the chances that the milk
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arrives safely.
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A process like this could mark a significant shift in how consumers regard
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milk. About 11 percent of consumers' total food expenditures are for dairy
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products, according to the report. "Consumers demand high quality, and they
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are sensitive to quality defects when purchasing dairy products. Off-flavors
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are easily detected, especially in fluid milk," Hotchkiss said. "Adding CO2 is
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an economical way to extend the shelf life and improve the quality of
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perishable foods in home storage as well as in retail distribution."
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