UHT can be tasty too

UHT can be tasty too

University of Queensland Gatton College researchers are well on the way to giving Ultra-High Temperature (UHT) milk great taste as well as long life.

Dairy Industry Centre for UHT Processing manager Dr Tony Elliott said the Centre was experimenting with different heat processing temperatures for the milk to minimise the "cooked" taste often mentioned as a turn-off for consumers in marketing taste tests.

"The dairy industry is keen to diversify into UHT milk and seek ways to increase its market share. At present, it occupies only six per cent of the market whereas in France, 90 per cent of milk consumed is UHT," Dr Elliott said.

Bacteria are killed in UHT milk by heating it to between 135 and 150 degrees Celsius for between two and six seconds. This compares with normal milk which is pasteurised by heating to between 72 and 74 degrees Celsius for around 15 seconds.

"I also tested two different methods for heating milk - indirect means using outer tubes or direct means involving infusing milk with steam. The second method means water must later be removed from the milk," he said.

"My research showed direct heating yielded the best tasting milk."

Dr Elliott said UHT consumption rates were doubling every four years with increasing numbers of people realising it was far more than something you used when "you went camping".

"UHT milk is very nutritious and convenient with a shelf life of between six and nine months," he said.

The Centre opened in 1998 under the direction of Dr Hilton Deeth to provide research, consultancies, training and extension for solving problems and exploiting opportunities connected with high-temperature processing for the Australian dairy industry.

Funded by the Dairy Research and Development Corporation (DRDC), the Centre has a UHT pilot plant which is unique in Australian public research establishments and its location at Gatton gives it ready access to academic facilities, postgraduate students and milk from the University's dairy herd.

For more information, contact Dr Tony Elliott (telephone 07 5460 1463).