WHAT IS SPOILAGE AND HOW DOES IT AFFECT MILK?
Spoilage of a food simply means it 'goes off' and for milk, spoilage means a very unpleasant odour and taste caused by fermentation. Fermentation is defined as the chemical breakdown of a substance by bacteria, yeast, other micro-organisms, and if milk is left untreated and 'raw', this fermentation process occurs extremely quickly. You can tell when milk has spoiled because of the obvious, and unpleasant changes in the taste, appearance and odour.
Nonpasteurized, raw milk, was responsible for 86 reported food poisoning outbreaks between 1998 and 2008, resulting in 1,676 illnesses, 191 hospitalisations, and 2 deaths. Raw milk contains various pathogens (germs) that are very harmful to the body if not killed through pasteurisation. Some of these pathogens include:
Nonpasteurized, raw milk, was responsible for 86 reported food poisoning outbreaks between 1998 and 2008, resulting in 1,676 illnesses, 191 hospitalisations, and 2 deaths. Raw milk contains various pathogens (germs) that are very harmful to the body if not killed through pasteurisation. Some of these pathogens include:
- Salmonellosis: this is the most common disease that is transmitted in unpasteurised milk.
- Listeria monocytogenes: Listeria in humans can prove fatal for pregnant women as it can cause stillbirth and infant death.
- Campylobacter jejuni: this can cause severe vomiting and cramps.
- E-Coli: contamination of E-coli to milk occurs if it isn't stored at the right temperature.
How Does uht pasteurisation prevent milk spoilage?
The extremely high temperatures in which milk is exposed to during UHT Pasteurisation, is the reason why spoilage is prevented. When the milk is raised to 141 degrees Celsius, 90% of the disease producing micro-organisms are immediately killed and the other deadly enzymes are disabled, all with minimal effect on the taste of the milk. This process also sterilizes the milk and makes it easier to store. UHT Pasteurisation does not completely abolish the chance of spoilage, but simply forestalls it, meaning the shelf life is increased dramatically to 6-9 months. Without UHT Pasteurisation, milk would not only spoil very quickly, but would be virtually would inedible, purely because the risk of contracting a disease would be too high.