Got (fresh) milk?
Friday - October 19, 2007
|
Del.icio.us | 
Podcast | WineAndDineHawaii.com Share
|
If you think the taste of the milk in your morning bowl of cereal has changed in recent years, don’t put it all down to your imagination or aging taste buds. With the sad closure of local dairies over the past decade, more than 90 percent of Hawaii’s milk is now imported and reprocessed. With only one Oahu dairy and three Big Island dairies in production, fresh milk is hard to find. Unless the milk you’re buying in the supermarket has an “island fresh"label,then you’re most likely drinking Mainland milk that has to be re-pasteurized once it reaches Hawaii.
Norman Romagosa represents Borden UHT Milk,and was in town last week to present the milk to buyers at the Hawaii Food and New Products Show.We caught up with him and asked a few questions about UHT milk.
Many people in the U.S. have never heard of UHT milk.Can you explain what it is?
Certainly. The milk you’re used to drinking is pasteurized at 165 degrees for 10 seconds and then put into a plastic or cardboard gable top package that is neither airtight or light-tight. The process kills only about 60 percent of bacteria, and bacteria multiply when they’re in an environment that isn’t airtight. So the milk has a shelf life of less than two weeks.
UHT milk is pasteurized at 282 degrees (that’s the ultra-high temperature we talk about) for 10 seconds and then put into an antiseptic, airtight “light-tight” cardboard box. The process kills 99 percent of bacteria and the milk won’t start spoiling until you open it.
So our regular milk has a shelf life of how long?
About 10-17 days.
From when it gets to Hawaii?
No, from when it’s pasteurized. By the time it gets to a supermarket in Hawaii it’s already used up many of its “fresh” days.
How long is UHT milk good for?
If you don’t open UHT milk, it has a shelf life of about eight months. It needs no refrigeration and will not spoil even if kept in warm conditions.If the milk is heated over 120 degrees, the shelf life will shorten to a few months and the taste may change, but it will not spoil.
After you open UHT milk, you should refrigerate it as you would regular milk.
I have to admit, I really abused the UHT milk. I left some in my car for an afternoon, I left one in the fridge and one on the kitchen counter and then I drank it all - deliberately. Incredibly, it all tasted the same.
I know. People are amazed that truly fresh milk can last this long. Parents of young children particularly like it. You can take milk to the park, take it to the beach and, if you like it warm, you don’t even have to chill it first.
I noticed the milk has an unusually creamy taste. Do you add anything to it?
No, that’s the taste of fresh milk.
How about growth hormone and antibiotics?
Our milk comes from cows that are growth hormone-free. Our packaging proclaims “rBST Free.“Not quite organic,but the next best thing.
Where can we find it?
Most supermarkets in Hawaii are carrying it right now. The milk comes as whole,low-fat regular,lowfat chocolate and skim. There are also a variety of flavored milks, that include strawberry and vanilla, packed in 8-ounce sizes.
E-mail this story | Print this page | Comments (0) | Archive | RSS Comments (0) |
Most Recent Comment(s):
