Organic Milk Shelf Life
Organic milk is defined by the USDA as the milk that is derived from the cows that are fed on organic food. Organic food are the foods that are obtained without using any of synthetic substances, artificial fertilizers, pesticides, drugs or hormones in food to speed up the process of farming. This method is also known as organic farming. Organic milk is one of such popular organic products. Organic milk is also very popular in the farmers as well as consumers today and more than 3% of total milk production in US is the production of organic milk. The manufacturing process actually increases organic milk shelf life as compared to regular milk.
There are many benefits of organic milk that is sold in the market with such a rage and hype. The most prominent benefit of organic milk is that it is obtained by the cows that are not fed on any artificial fertilizers. That saves our body from more than 300 harmful chemicals that could be present in the regular milk. Plus, organic milk is also rich in its nutrition counts. Organic milk is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins like beta carotene, vitamin A, vitamin E, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), calcium, magnesium, potassium and many such healthy nutrients.
What is the Shelf Life of Organic Milk?
All of us are quite aware of organic milk that is available in the market to compete the regular milk. Everyone who has shopped for milk is also aware of the fact that organic milk has a longer shelf life than the regular milk that we consume. Longer shelf life means organic milk can last longer, as long as a month or more than that. It is the reason why organic milk is sold with double the cost of the regular milk.
Why organic milk lasts longer? Well, the answer can be found in the manufacturing process of the organic milk. Organic milk meets the Grade A standards that are marked for selling the milk. To match these standards the organic milk is thoroughly pasteurized at the top most temperatures. This process kills many of the microorganisms that can spoil the milk early. Many times, companies that sell organic milk use the process of 'ultra-pasteurization', where the milk is heated in such a way that the microorganisms cannot settle even when the milk is in the refrigerator. This method permits the shelf life up to 15 days more than the normal assumptions.
Apart from increasing shelf life, ultra-pasteurization is also useful for the dairy producers who ship the milk to reach the distribution places. Ultra-pasteurization heats up organic milk at the temperature of more than 2000F, for at least 15 seconds. This is the reason why its shelf life is 20 to 30 days more than regular milk. The regular milk expiration date is four to six days from the manufactured date. For organic milk, the expiration date is more than 20 days and up to 40 days of the manufacture. Organic milk and the process of ultra-pasteurization can cause negligible change in the taste of the organic milk. Many people have noticed a bit of 'cooked like' taste when they tasted raw organic milk as well.
Organic milk's shelf life is very long and so is its price. One precaution, once the organic milk carton is open, it is important to avoid its contact to the outside air, because it can get spoiled just like regular milk.
