It’s common knowledge that fresh milk, bought from dairy shops, is said to contain bacteria. This is mostly due to the absence of regulatory laws and bodies in the loose milk market.

Resultantly, the purity of the milk remains a major concern for household consumers across Pakistan.

Questions were raised regarding the quality of packaged milk compared to loose milk when it was introduced in the local market in 1983.

But today, a majority of people are converting from traditional, loose milk provided by local milkmen (gawalas) to packaged milk, largely due to concerns about bacteria present in fresh milk.

This requires dairy product companies to be more transparent regarding their process of milk production.

The question of removing micro-bacteria and pathogens during the process employed by dairy companies is now being answered in clearer terms.

Understanding UHT treatment

The process revolves around sterilising milk by heating it above 140C for two seconds.

The Nutri-Heat process is a technique used by Olper’s, one of the leading packaged milk companies in Pakistan.

The process consists of multiple stages.

During the heating stage, raw milk is first pre-heated to a non-critical temperature of around 72 –75C, and then quickly heated to the temperature required by the process.

Using high temperature for the shortest possible time ensures that heat is evenly distributed across the product.

This also destroys non-spore-forming pathogenic microorganisms while ensuring the milk retains all its nutritional qualities, something which conventional boiling fails to guarantee as it commonly leads to the loss of nutrition.

Through this process, consumers are able to get 100 per cent preservative free milk, while retaining the full cream richness, freshness, and wholesome taste of fresh milk.

Olper's, preserving tradition through technology

It’s important to note that once the pack is opened and exposed to the environment, if not refrigerated, it will go bad just like any other milk, as Olper’s adds no artificialities or preservatives to counter this natural quality of milk.

Olper’s Nutri-Heat process gives a relatively longer shelf life to the milk as compared to regular dairy products.

This is also thanks to the packaging as well, as it enables the milk to have an un-refrigerated shelf life of three months.

Of course, if the package is opened and the milk is left outside in the light, it will get spoilt just like all other dairy products.

Olper’s milk, purified through the Nutri-Heat process, is certified by international health standards. The milk is first procured in a raw form from dairy farms and farmers in villages and cities.

After this, the milk is immediately transferred to chiller tankers that carry it at optimum temperatures to Olper’s Milk plant.

Over there, the milk goes through an extensive process which comprises of standardisation of fat, pasteurisation, homogenisation, and then Nutri-Heat.

Once this is done, the milk is packed aseptically using the latest Tetra Pak technology.

Latest research reveals that raw or loose milk and products made from it (including ice cream, soft cheese and yoghurt) can pose severe health risks.

The reason for this is that “raw milk has not undergone a process called pasteurisation that kills disease-causing germs, such as Campylobacter, E coli and Salmonella”.

Therefore, it is highly advisable to not consume milk in its raw form.

This is why Nutri-Heat, though just a few seconds of the entire process, is an essential step to ensuring quality milk reaches consumers.

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