Sunday, June 15, 2008

Why organic milk tastes different

Sci Am magazine explains:
Organic milk lasts longer because producers use a different process to preserve it. According to the Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance, the milk needs to stay fresh longer because organic products often have to travel farther to reach store shelves since it is not produced throughout the country.

The process that gives the milk a longer shelf life is called ultrahigh temperature (UHT) processing or treatment, in which milk is heated to 280 degrees Fahrenheit (138 degrees Celsius) for two to four seconds, killing any bacteria in it. ...

So why isn’t all milk produced using UHT?

One reason is that UHT-treated milk tastes different. UHT sweetens the flavor of milk by burning some of its sugars (caramelization). A lot of Americans find this offensive ...

UHT also destroys some of the milk’s vitamin content—not a significant amount—and affects some proteins, making it unusable for cheese.
In other words, organic milk has been cooked to completely sterilize it. It tastes different because it is sterile.

I thought that organic milk was marketed to the kind of people who believe in fresher foods, because fresher foods were tastier and more natural, and because processing destroys nutrients. I would think that those folks would hate UHT-treated organic milk. It is like buying canned vegetables instead of fresh vegetables, just because the can says "organic" on it.

No comments: