MANUFACTURING-The Carton
Pasteurization- Unless otherwise noted all milk is pasteurized. Pasteurization is the process of using heat to decrease or eliminate organisms that cause food borne illness in humans. Regular pasteurization uses high heat for a short period of time to eliminate organisms. Ultra high temperature pasteurization eliminates bacteria completely allowing for milk to be shelf stable. No form of pasteurization hurts the nutrition of the milk. In the 1920’s pasteurization became popular as raw milk was found to be a major source of food borne illness (1). Some illnesses that can result from not drinking treated milk are Salmonella, E.Coli, Listeria and Campylobacter jejuni. Milk is so packed with nutrition it is also a great living source for these buggers too! Thus, raw also known as unpasteurized milk can be a hot bed for bacteria. As these organisms feast on the nutrients that you are supposed to enjoy they create a soured milk.
Homogenization- Fat naturally separates out of milk after about 30 minutes. Homogenization is the mechanical treatment of that in milk by putting milk under “high pressure through a tiny orifice [hole].” This way you don’t have to shake your milk to disperse the fat throughout before drinking the milk. Also adding to the consistent smooth texture we expect from milk.
Fortification- The addition of vitamins to the milk to make sure they meet nutritional standards of milk. Most commonly dairy milk is fortified with vitamin D and vitamin A.
Citation:
1. Accessed 5/19/2020
