Milk Processing and Preservation Techniques

Milk processing and preservation encompass a suite of thermal, mechanical and biochemical methods designed to ensure safety, extend shelf life and maintain nutritional and sensory quality. Core techniques include pasteurisation, which applies moderate heat to inactivate pathogenic microorganisms, and ultra-high temperature (UHT) treatment, which subjects milk to brief but intense heating for near–commercial sterility. Homogenisation reduces fat globule size to confer a stable emulsion and uniform mouthfeel. Cold-chain logistics rely on refrigeration or freezing to slow microbial growth and enzymatic activity, while advanced non-thermal approaches—such as high-pressure processing, pulsed electric fields and microfiltration—offer potential to preserve heat-sensitive nutrients and flavours. Fermentation transforms milk into cultured products, combining preservation with probiotic enrichment. Emerging trends focus on optimising process parameters to reduce energy consumption and carbon footprint, on valorising by-products through membrane separation or enzymatic hydrolysis, and on tailoring treatments for alternative milks (camel, goat, sheep and yak) to accommodate compositional differences. Collectively, these strategies underpin a resilient dairy sector that meets global demands for safe, nutritious, minimally processed dairy foods.

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Milk Processing and Preservation Techniques publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in milk processing and preservation techniques across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Pasteurisation: A heat treatment (typically 72 °C for 15 s) applied to milk to inactivate pathogenic and spoilage organisms without substantial alteration of nutritional or sensory properties.

Homogenisation: A high-pressure process that reduces milk fat globule size to produce a stable, uniform emulsion and prevent cream separation during storage.

Ultra-high temperature processing: A thermal method exposing milk to temperatures above 135 °C for a few seconds to achieve commercial sterility and extend shelf life without refrigeration.

Cold chain: The temperature-controlled supply chain for refrigerated or frozen milk, essential to suppress microbial growth and maintain product quality from farm to consumer.

Freeze-thaw cycle: The process of freezing milk and subsequently thawing it, which can induce structural changes in proteins and fats, affecting viscosity, stability and sensory attributes.

References

1. Effects of Freezing Raw Yak Milk on the Fermentation Performance and Storage Quality of Yogurt. Foods (2023).
2. Study of the possibility of producing brine-ripened cheeses from frozen sheep’s milk. Food systems (2024).
3. Adjusting the initial milk pH before freezing affected physico-chemical properties of thawed goat milk. Food Research (2022).