The product without which few can imagine their life is milk. Nature gave cow milk the lion's share of trace elements and vitamins necessary for the qualitative growth and development of cow offspring (calf). And now a person takes milk from a cow in order to raise his children.

Healthy milk

I must say that, despite various disputes that do not cease around the benefits and harms of milk, the majority of mothers try to ensure that their children must have a certain amount of dairy products in their diet, including milk. The presence in the menu of children of this product is considered essential.

Should milk be given to a child?

But let's start in order. There are so many omissions and even rumors around milk that debate about how old milk can be given to a child is still ongoing. Someone considers this product useless. To some, milk seems completely unhealthy. But many will hear stories from their lives or from the lives of relatives, saying that it was thanks to the presence of cow's milk in the house that the child was able to survive and is healthy and happy until now. A bottle of milk per day was able to create a real miracle and save the baby, whom there was nothing to feed.

However, there are other stories that say that the child’s body could not absorb the nutrients in the drink, and milk had to be replaced with other products. Most likely, parents already know how their baby tolerates lactose in milk, and they know how it (milk) can be replaced in modern conditions. Everything written above was written about full and real milk.

From what age?

From what age can pasteurized milk be given to a child? Modern nutritionists are adamant. They do not recommend introducing convenience store dairy products into a child’s diet earlier than three years of age. The thing is that in a bottle of milk there may be various additives that are not intended for children's use. Although, most likely, such an incident often happens with cheaper products. Children who are breast-fed are allowed to introduce pasteurized milk into the diet from the age of one year.

What is the use?

And now let's remember what is the use of milk for the human body. Milk regulates the metabolism in the body. It supplies us with a decent amount of calcium, thanks to which the teeth and bones of a person remain strong and healthy for a long time. Just one glass a day - and you get half the total recommended. Also, milk balances the body's water balance. The necessary proteins and carbohydrates enter the body, including from milk.

For men

What is the use of milk for the body of a person engaged in heavy physical labor or experiencing a lot of stress? It turns out that the benefits are considerable. For the male body, eating milk is necessary. It makes up for the required amount of protein. This is important because men are more likely to undergo hard physical work or attend strength training in sports halls. The need for protein and carbohydrates increases significantly and is filled with milk, because milk protein is the builder of muscle tissue. Yes, and protein shakes in bulk are based on milk.

Energy recovery

Office workers also experience stress, and sometimes these stresses are no less strong emotionally than physical ones. Stressful situations are fraught with loss of vitality, lethargy and chronic fatigue. Drinking a glass of milk a day, a man restores the general emotional background. Milk is almost a natural antidepressant.

For women

Women who regularly consume milk and dairy products have not only healthy and beautiful teeth. Milk gives strength and beauty to their hair and nails. All this happens thanks to iodine and calcium, which is part of the drink.

Pregnancy and lactation must be accompanied by the intake of additional elements found in dairy products. From there, the body will take the necessary forces for the successful development of the situation.

Cosmetic procedures for the skin can be carried out on the basis of this magic drink. Skin is an organ that can be fed and not only oxygen. Washing with milk, masks and baths will rejuvenate and give beauty to any woman.

According to GOST

And now about how to get pasteurized according to GOST. The product is heated to sixty degrees. After one hour, the milk cools quickly. Thanks to this method, bacteria that can cause product damage are killed in drinking milk pasteurized according to GOST. At the same time, a large number of various pathogens that may appear in a fresh paired product die.

The method is good in that the milk remains almost as useful as if just from under the cow. But the fresh product would never have stood the road to the store so that city children and adults could feast on it. And the shelf life of pasteurized milk is significantly increased in comparison with the shelf life of fresh whole product.

About types of processing

Outlets today provide a wide range of dairy products. Before all this milk appeared on the shelves of supermarkets, he had to undergo some types of processing.

In addition to the pasteurized product, you can also find sterilized and ultra-pasteurized.

Sterilized milk

Sterilized was subjected to heating (boiling) for several minutes. When asked about how much milk is stored in the refrigerator, if it has been sterilized, manufacturers say that ten days is not the limit. Even the lack of a sterilized milk fridge is no barrier. However, it is recommended that the opened bottle or other packaging be placed in a cold place for storage.

Ultra-pasteurized milk

Ultra-pasteurization occurs at higher temperatures than pasteurization and sterilization. Milk during ultra-pasteurization undergoes instant heat treatment, being in a temperature regime of more than one hundred and twenty degrees, and is immediately packed. Such a drink can stand without a refrigerator and not sour in sealed form for at least six months.

Shelf life of pasteurized milk

Nevertheless, only pasteurized can be considered the most “lively” product. It undergoes less stringent measures to increase its shelf life than sterilized and ultra-pasteurized milk.

What will be the shelf life of pasteurized milk depends on the conditions in which it will be. An important fact is the fact that the packaging with milk was opened or hermetically sealed and was not opened. If you brought a dairy product sealed in airtight containers from the store, it will last longer.

Shelf life of pasteurized milk (even in sealed, undamaged packaging) exposed to sunlight is significantly reduced. And a huge proportion of useful substances when stored in the light is destroyed.

An important factor is what kind of packaging the milk has. If the product is sealed in solid packaging, the shelf life of pasteurized milk is about ten days from the end of the process. Inside the package is designed in such a way that does not allow light to break through to the product and begin its destructive effect. And in the dark and cool, microorganisms breed less willingly. At the same time, milk should not be opened and kept in a cool place.

If you had to keep the milk open, it must be placed in the refrigerator at temperatures from zero degrees to plus five. In this state, the milk will be well stored for three days. The solid packaging is equipped with a screw cap, which stops the strong flow of oxygen into the product.

Soft packaging

Soft containers reduce the shelf life of pasteurized milk. The thing is that such a package does not have a lid that allows you to close the opened box. Inside the bag, of course, air enters, and microorganisms develop much more actively. Therefore, the shelf life of pasteurized milk in a closed soft container will be no more than three days. And the opened packaging ceases to protect the product after thirty-six hours. Milk turns sour after this time. However, it can still be eaten using in baking.

On the packaging there are often terms whose meaning we do not know or misunderstand: “Normalized milk was used”, “Ultra pasteurized”, “Made from whole milk” and so on. Let's look at the varieties of dairy raw materials, the methods of processing and packaging, and how all this affects the life expectancy of dairy products.

Dairy raw materials

According to GOST, milk is:

1. Whole. This is natural milk, which is filtered, but not regulated by fat content. The natural balance of fats, proteins and carbohydrates in such milk is unchanged.
2. Normalized. This is milk divided into reverse (liquid with zero fat content) and cream, and then restored to the desired parameters. Milk is normalized so that it is not too fat and to make sour cream, cottage cheese and other products with a certain percentage of fat content.
3. Low fat. This is milk from which cream is separated during separation. It tastes almost the same as whole, but half as much in energy value. Such milk and products based on it are produced for people who count calories.
4. Restored. This is milk made from concentrated or dried milk and water.

Processing method

Depending on the heat treatment, milk is divided into:

1. Pasteurized   - one-time heating usually up to 60 ° С. During pasteurization, the vegetative forms of microorganisms die, but their spores remain viable and, when favorable conditions arise, develop intensively. As a rule, pasteurized whole or skim milk, as well as cream and buttermilk. Pasteurized foods are stored at low temperatures for a short time.
2. Ultra-pasteurized   - short heating up to 150 ° C and fast cooling. Bacteria that cause souring of milk die, but the taste and nutrients are preserved.
3. Sterilized   - quite a long heating up to 100 ° C and above. In fact, this is boiled milk, in which no useful substances remained and all bacteria died, including lactic acid. Neither curdled milk nor cottage cheese will come out of it. But such milk can be stored for a very long time. In the manufacture of sterilized and ultra-pasteurized milk, various stabilizing salts are often used.

Based on the above classifications, all dairy products can be conditionally divided into short and long.

Short milk is unrestored milk with a low pasteurization temperature, as well as products made on its basis. Long milk is ultra-pasteurized and sterilized or reconstituted from dried milk and products made from it.

Packaging

In addition to raw materials and processing methods, the type of packaging also affects the shelf life of milk.

1. Soft packaging   (fin-pack, berta-pack and others). These are bags made of high-strength polyethylene.
2. Semi-rigid packaging   (various types of thermoplastics). It is, as a rule, a plastic cup with a sealed “lid” of foil or film.
3. Semi-rigid packaging made of sheet and composite materials   (tetra-pack, tetra-rex and others). These are cardboard boxes of various shapes with a multilayer coating inside.

Companies with short milk usually choose polyethylene, plastic and cheap carton packaging options. If there is milk on the counter in a plastic and paper bag, most likely you have pasteurized milk with a shelf life of 3-5 days.

Thermoplastics are most often used for yoghurts, sour cream and other dairy products. The most important thing here is the tightness of the packaging. If the manufacturer used high-quality coating material and strictly monitored the gas environment during packaging, the product will easily be stored for 5-7 days.

Did you see the smallest hole in the foil? 99% that the product is spoiled.

Ultrapasteurization and sterilization requires an aseptic spill, which only a tetra-pack can provide. You should not buy such milk in plastic bags and cheaper cardboard containers.

How much to store milk and dairy products

Taking from the counter a bottle of milk or a pack of kefir, we first look at the expiration date and wonder why there is such a spread? A product of one brand lives only a couple of days, and it seems to be exactly the same product, but of another brand - two weeks.

The shelf life of dairy products is set by manufacturers. However, it should not exceed the terms prescribed in regulatory documents of regulatory authorities.

The shelf life of milk, which is only slightly heated to be delivered to consumers, cannot exceed 5 days. The shelf life of dairy products without stabilizers and preservatives is no more than 10 days.

The shelf life of long milk is set by manufacturers on the basis of which stabilizers, preservatives and thickeners are added to the composition. The manufacturer must pass testing and approve the shelf life for each of its products in Rospotrebnadzor. Therefore, the consumer must focus on the date indicated on the package.

The optimal storage temperature for short milk is 2–4 ° С. This, as well as a freshness zone. Long milk can be placed on the upper shelves and even the refrigerator door. For sterilized milk in a package, for example, a storage temperature of up to 25 ° C is permissible.

After opening the package, the maximum shelf life of pasteurized milk is 48 hours, sterilized - 96 hours. Ultra-pasteurized is stored as much as is written on the packaging. Dairy products should be consumed within 72 hours.

How to determine the freshness of milk

Sometimes the deadline didn’t come out, and you keep it in the refrigerator, but still they take doubts: is it possible to eat it? The adequacy of the product can be determined not only by the shelf life, but also by external signs.

Fresh milk is white, uniform, without cereal, clumps of fat and foreign tastes and smells (except that melted and sterilized has a smack of boiling).

Natalya Klimova, Chief Technologist, SAPK-Milk (Podvorye Holding)

If the milk is fat (4.7% and above), the formation of a characteristic film is permissible, which disappears immediately with stirring. Skim milk may have a slightly bluish tint, while sterilized milk may be creamy.

Sour milk feels sour, and then a clot appears. It turns into yogurt.

How to determine the freshness of kefir and ryazhenka

  Fresh kefir has a uniform consistency. Due to the mixed (lactic and alcoholic) fermentation and special fermentation on kefir fungi, gas formation is possible. Natalya Klimova notes that a slight swelling of the package with kefir is normal.

But for ryazhenka, on the contrary, it is a sign of damage. The product is made by fermenting baked milk with the addition of special starter cultures. Fresh fermented baked milk is absolutely homogeneous, soft cream color and with a pleasant melted aftertaste.

The main sign of spoilage of dairy products is the appearance of watery whey on top.

How to determine the freshness of sour cream

Fresh sour cream should be uniform, thick, with a white or slightly creamy glossy surface. The minimum mass fraction of fat for sour cream is 10%, the maximum is 42%. The higher the fat content, the thicker the sour cream.

Natalya Klimova

According to GOST, stabilizers and thickeners cannot be added to sour cream. If the manufacturer poured some powders, he is not entitled to write the word "sour cream" on the packaging. Therefore, various sour cream creams, sour cream products appeared in stores. They are cheaper than natural sour cream, but you need to carefully study the composition: are there any strangers inside.

How to determine the freshness of yogurt

Natalya Klimova explained that depending on the production method, yogurt can be liquid (drinking) and creamy. In any case, the consistency of the fresh product should be uniform. With the reservoir method of production (this is when the product is first fermented in a large container, and then poured into a container), the protein clot of the product may be impaired. When thermostatic (when the yeast is introduced into the already packaged product), the clot should be intact.

If yogurt with pieces of fruit, then it should be moderately sweet and match the color and aroma of the filler.

How to determine the freshness of cottage cheese

The fresh product is soft, with a spreading or friable consistency. For low-fat cottage cheese, a small amount of whey and a weak smack of milk powder are normal.

Natalya Klimova

Spoiled cottage cheese is easily recognized by taste: it is bitter.

What to do if milk is spoiled

Do not be upset if the deadlines are missed. Natural milk can be processed into kefir or yogurt. To do this, you need to buy a special sourdough and mix it with a heated sour product.

If the kefir or milk begins to exfoliate, make cottage cheese. To do this, the liquid also needs to be heated, but not brought to a boil, so that the flakes of cottage cheese are separated from the whey, and put in a colander covered with gauze. After that, gauze should be tied and hung over the sink so that the glass retains the remaining liquid.

Also, slightly sour milk and a little expired kefir are an excellent basis for.

Milk is a nutritious product. Only 200 ml contains   about 20% of the daily intake of calcium, phosphorus, vitamins A, B2, D and more than 10% protein.

Daily rate   determined individually for each and depends on a number of factors: age, gender, diet, physical activity, pregnancy.

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On the shelves of supermarkets presented quite a large assortment of milk: pasteurized, sterilized, ultra-pasteurized, dry, melted.

The buyer often does not understand what their fundamental difference is, which milk will be better for consumption and what the shelf life of pasteurized and other milk depends on.

You can learn about the shelf life of sour cream from another of ours.

What does it depend on?

What should know about milk? You can find out how to choose the right milk in the store from the video:

Milk is rich in calcium, protein and a whole "bunch" of vitamins. But, unfortunately, it spoils very quickly. Therefore, it is important to know the basic conditions for maintaining the freshness, taste and beneficial properties of this food product. The shelf life of milk depends on the type of processing, conditions and storage temperature. The tips from the article will allow you to save it as long as possible.

What determines the expiration date

How much milk will be stored depends on many factors. Everything is important here - from the production method to the storage location. Do not consider this science complicated. Learning how to store it is easy, just consider the following:

• type of processing;
• packaging;
• storage conditions.

Let's analyze each item in more detail.

Types of processing

The most effective way is heat treatment. This kills part of the bacteria, which lead to rapid souring. According to this criterion, milk is divided into:

1. Sterilized.   The technology is the processing of milk at a temperature of 115 ° C. Thus, microorganisms, enzymes and fungal spores are eliminated. At home, sterilization of the product can be achieved by simple boiling. The longer the thermal effect takes place, the more its taste and color change.
2. Pasteurized.   The process is carried out at temperatures below 100 ° C. Thus, disinfection occurs. This type of treatment is more gentle than the previous one. Antiseptic packaging takes place at the factory, thanks to which there is no new infection of the product.
3. Ultra-pasteurized.   Such milk is stored the longest. Ultra-pasteurization is heating to 145 ° C for several hours in a closed tank. This method was invented for extreme cases, and not for everyday consumption.

Do you know that…

The longer milk is stored, the less nutrients it contains.

Packaging types

The packaging has a great impact on safety:

• Glass is the ideal packaging because it does not react with the liquid. Unfortunately, in our time glass bottles are an impractical solution for milk due to the severity and fragility of the material.
• Tetrapak is closest in properties to glass containers and is recognized as the best in 2018. A huge plus is that the product in a tetrapack can be stored outside the refrigerator until opened.
• PET bottle. When buying plastic bottles, pay attention to opacity. To preserve the freshness of the product, avoid contact with the sun. An opaque bottle would be a better choice. But be careful with such a container. It is not worth storing milk in it for a long time. Moreover, it acquires a light plastic flavor from PET.
• Polypack - the usual "bag". Such containers do not have obvious shortcomings - they protect against sunlight and have no effect on the contents. The only disadvantage is the inconvenience of use.

Transfusion of milk into another container increases the risk of souring. To avoid this, special stands for milk bags are used.

How to store at home: conditions, place, container, terms

In sealed packaging

In closed containers, the contents are stored differently depending on the type of processing:

• sterilized milk is stored for no more than 34 hours in a cold place;
• the shelf life of pasteurized milk is from 36 hours to 3-5 days in the refrigerator;
• the shelf life of ultra-pasteurized milk is six months, even at room temperature.

Mistress note

Storage time may vary depending on the technical conditions of the enterprise. Read the information on the product packaging.

In open packaging

Opening the container gives the bacteria access inside, and the souring process begins. Open milk can be stored in different ways. But the law is one: the lower the temperature, the longer the expiration date. In the refrigerator, it reaches 3 days.

On the third day, milk is already in critical condition. A sour taste appears in it. You can’t drink it, but you can use it, for example, for baking or for receiving (see video below).

How much can be stored without a refrigerator

It is logical that in room conditions milk will not be fresh as long as it is stored in the refrigerator. Without processing, the product will be suitable up to 10 hours, with heat treatment - up to 18 hours.

Typically, milk is stored in the refrigerator, but if it is not there, don’t be upset, there are ways to preserve freshness:

• One of them is to make a refrigerator yourself. Of course, the refrigerator is said loudly. The container with the product can be wrapped with rags dipped in cold water. Or put in a basin with cold water. This measure is temporary, but will help to hold out for some time.
• Also, milk retains freshness if you put a little soda in it, but this is already fake. With purchased products, which may contain “secret ingredients,” this may not work.

Do you know that…

The deliberate addition of soda to milk is used for heartburn, sore throat, cough, etc. A soda-milk mixture can be a panacea for many ailments, but it also has contraindications. Study all available information before self-medicating.

How to extend the freshness of milk

Boiling

Raw homemade milk is the most defenseless.

• The raw product is stored for up to 24 hours at a temperature not lower than 1 ° C and not higher than 20 ° C.
• At room temperature, this period decreases to 10 hours.

It is advisable to sterilize raw milk in order to get rid of microorganisms and increase its shelf life. And you must do this if you bought draft milk on the occasion of the market.

For proper boiling:

1. Choose a pan. Glass, aluminum or steel will do.
2. Check for freshness. Pour milk into a tablespoon and bring to the flame. If it is stale, it will immediately curl up.
3. We checked and made sure that the product was fresh. Pour milk into the pan, put on a slow fire and look at both - it will try to "escape."
4. Bring to a boil and turn off. Every minute kills vitamins and “folds” calcium. It is he who remains as a scum at the bottom.
5. Then let cool and pour into the container, which was prepared for storage. The container must be disinfected by dousing with boiling water.

After boiling, milk at room temperature will stand for a day, in the refrigerator - up to 7 days.

To prevent milk from escaping, put an inverted saucer or a special milk “watchman” at the bottom of the pan - a ribbed circle with a nose

Freezing

Some ask: is it possible to freeze milk? Can. This increases the shelf life, but enzymes and some vitamins are lost. Therefore, it is better to drink just bought, not thawed.

The freezing process is simple:

1. Pour milk into the container, which was chosen for freezing. Pour to the brim, because the product will increase in volume when it freezes.
2. It is better to start the process with quick freezing at -22 ° C.

That's all. It is better to defrost milk on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator, by the evening it will be ready for use. But keep in mind that you cannot freeze thawed anew. So all goodness and taste are lost.

Frozen milk can be stored until thawed. But we do not recommend keeping it in this form for longer than 2 months.

Mistress note

It should be noted that after thawing organoleptically (taste, color, texture), milk no longer resembles the original product.

Goat milk: fresh, boiled, frozen

Goat is stored in exactly the same way as a cow, only the terms differ:

• at high temperature - 4-6 hours;
• at room - 24 hours;
• at low, in the refrigerator - no more than 3 days.

You can boil goat milk. And the mechanism is exactly the same as for the cow. You can freeze it too. But it is stored in frozen form much longer - up to a year.

Goat milk is not only healthier, but also safer than cow milk, since the goat does not suffer from tuberculosis and brucellosis

Other types of milk

There are also other types of milk that differ from the usual product for us in taste and consistency:

1. Concentrated   - is a product condensed by a special technology without the addition of sugar. But this is not familiar to us - concentrated milk has a different consistency and is distinguished by a salty taste. It is usually sold in cans, therefore it is stored for a very long time.
2. Ghee - A favorite drink of childhood, attracting not only with its delicate taste, but also with a beige color. It is stored at a temperature of 0-8 ° C as much as ordinary boiled.

Milk is of great value in everyday diets. And with proper storage, it will not deteriorate ahead of time and will delight you with its taste and benefits. To do this, you need to take into account only 3 points: store the product in the refrigerator, choose the appropriate container and process it if it is “raw”.

Keep it right and be healthy!

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Pasteurized or sterilized?

Pasteurized and sterilized milk   not much different in the eyes of the consumer. More precisely, for the consumer, as a rule, there is no difference between the concepts of “sterilized milk” and “pasteurized milk”, he only draws attention to the shelf life of the product.

At the same time, the shelf life of 6 months for sterilized milk seems to the consumer very long, and he draws his own conclusions, for example: “such milk is powdered, because natural milk cannot be stored as much. ” There is no confidence in such milk among people who are accustomed to milk sour for literally several days, even in the refrigerator. Regarding the origin of this "powder", there are different versions. In the best case, the consumer thinks it is milk powder (the consumer does not know the answers to the questions: what is milk powder? How is it made? Of what? And is it “chemical”?).

But in the worst case, such “horror stories” as milk in Russia are made from expired Chinese milk powder. Here the only question arises: is everything really so bad in Russia with raw materials?

The answer is no, not everything is so bad. We have no Chinese expired milk. It’s just that technology is improving, and some people have remained there in the past. Today's equipment allows you to get milk with a shelf life of up to six months. Without any preservatives. Milk belongs to those products in which it is not allowed to add preservatives under any conditions and in any quantities.

Pasteurized and sterilized milk - how does it differ?

The technology for producing pasteurized milk.

Pasteurized milk is obtained by conventional heat treatment in pasteurization and cooling units for milk. There are 3 modes of heat treatment, but all modes are within 70-100ºС. What happens with milk at this temperature? Part of the microorganisms of milk dies. And this applies to both harmful and beneficial microflora. And also some of the vitamins are destroyed (primarily vitamin C).

Bottom line: milk is stored for up to 5 days in a refrigerator.

Technology for the production of sterilized milk.

Sterilized milk is obtained according to the same principle of heat treatment, however, the processing temperature is more than 135 ° C. At such temperatures, almost the entire microflora of milk dies and almost all vitamins are destroyed. And since it is the microflora of milk that affects the rate of spoilage, this determines the shelf life of milk up to 6 months. No microflora - no damage.

The technology for producing ultra-pasteurized milk.

Although this definition is closer to “pasteurized” in sound, nevertheless, according to the processing principle, it is closer to sterilized milk. Heat treatment is carried out at a temperature of at least 125ºС, and in total within 2-4 seconds. The residual microflora, and, accordingly, the shelf life in ultra-pasteurized milk are the same as in sterilized milk.

With a high probability, the consumer will prefer pasteurized milk, as he believes that it is “natural”, because it spoils, as it should, for several days. Yes, and it costs less, because energy costs for the production of pasteurized milk are lower, there is no additional storage costs. However, the production of only pasteurized milk for the same reasons may not be beneficial for the producer, because spoiling the milk leads to financial losses. So what is the way out of production? Well, firstly, there is another pasteurized milk production technology in which the shelf life of the final product is increased up to 21 days. The technology is described.

The second option is to bring all the necessary information about sterilized milk to the consumer in order to dispel all concerns about this product. After all, not every buyer knows why sterilized milk   kept so long.

So, pasteurized and sterilized milk is not equally useful, because Sterilized milk contains virtually no vitamins and microorganisms. However, sterilized milk is still a rich source of complete protein. The technology of milk production with a shelf life of up to 21 days, according to experts of the company KR-Tech, is the most optimal solution in the production of drinking milk. In this case, a long shelf life does not scare the buyer and at the same time the production needs for the full sale of finished products are satisfied.