Proper Processing of Raw Milk

[Nemo]

I near could not believe this.

Nemo

https://www.rd.com/food/fun/why-americans-refrigerate-milk-but-europeans-dont/

This Is the Reason Why Americans Refrigerate Milk and Europeans Don’t
Yes, it's true!
By Brooke Nelson   

This-Is-the-Reason-Why-Americans-Refrigerate-Milk-and-Europeans-Don’t_604926161_AndreyCherkasovAndreyCherkasov/Shutterstock

Ask for a glass of milk in an American home, and your host will likely pull an ice-cold gallon out of the fridge. But if you do the same in a European country, you’ll probably receive a room-temperature glass. What gives?

Believe it or not, most of the world doesn’t refrigerate milk. But before you go nuts with worry about food poisoning, you should know that it’s completely safe to drink. (On the other hand, these foods actually could give you food poisoning.)

Turns out, the major difference lies in the method by which milk is processed. Almost all milk is pasteurized, meaning it undergoes extreme heat in order to kill illness-causing bacteria. The U.S. and Canada use a pasteurizing technique called high-temperature short-time pasteurization, or HTST. HTST is cheaper and more efficient because it processes milk in larger batches, but as a result, milk has a shorter shelf life—around seven to 10 days—and must be refrigerated. You’re making a mistake if you refrigerate these foods, though.

Meanwhile, the rest of the world uses ultra-high-temperature or ultra-heat-treated pasteurization (UHT), which heats the milk to an even higher temperature than HTST. The result: Milk that stays fresh outside of the fridge for about three months.

In the early 1990s, one company attempted to sell UHT milk on American shelves, but it never caught on. Why? For starters, the high temperatures make UHT milk taste a bit more “cooked” than HTST milk. But most likely, Americans’ obsession with refrigeration is to blame. Find out why Americans refrigerate eggs and Europeans don’t, too.

So forget about whether you take your glass half full or half empty. The real debate lies in whether you like it warm or cold.

[Kbop]

Nemo - i've had occasion to drink parmalat and a few other UHT brands.  you buy it off a shelf not in refrigerator case.  I can drink it but i don't like the taste.  It makes shipping, transport and storage easier.  My experience was in Europe in the 1980's.   

i suspect some of teh reasons for the difference may be;
- WWII didn't destroy electrical distribution in the US of A.
- Europe wasn't caught up in the breakfast health food craze as badly as North America in the late 19th and early 20th century.
- Much of European tradition is about processing milk into butter and cheese.

There are probably others but thats all i could think of after only one cup of coffee this morning.

[JohnyMac]

A bit off topic...There is a lot of items that do not need to be refrigerated.

> Mayonnaise,
> Ketchup,
> Mustard,
> Non previously refrigerated eggs,
> Maple syrup,
> And the list goes on and on.

We Americans tend to refrigerate everything. Probably only because a refrigerator is another place to store things. 

[Jackalope]

Up in Quebec they sell milk cold, but in comes in plastic bags.  They have molded containers in which you place the plastic bag of milk and then snip off a corner of the plastic bag.  The first time I saw it, I thought it was ungainly, but it works for them.

In Sri Lanka they use Nespray, a Nestle milk powder product, and it's kept in a fridge after it is mixed.  Usually, when I'm overseas, I only drink Coke or Pepsi from individual bottles.

[JohnyMac]

Yeah I hear ya' Jackalope, "Usually, when I'm overseas, I only drink Coke or Pepsi from individual bottles."

When we were in Vietnam, there was a notice on the small refrigerator in the room to NOT make ice form the faucet in the head. Only use sealed bottles of water. MrsMac did not take their suggestion and voila! She had a minor case of the squat's.

At the hotel we stayed, they advertised that they only used sanitized water and ice in their bar. I never had a problem as I drank coffee or beer all of the time.

[Jackalope]

Well it's weird drinking coke with breakfast.   I'm always glad to get back home so I can trust the water.  I think that someday pure water could be more precious than gold.

[Nemo]

Thats why I have filters and bacteria removal/destruction methods sufficient to supply water for a dozen or more people.

If thats not enough for everyone I open and set up the big box containing the other filters.

Nemo