Non-Thermal Milk Decontamination by Ionic Modulation: A Deionization-Based Alternative to Pasteurization

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Dairy Technology
• Microbiology

Background:

• The dairy industry seeks non-thermal processing for microbial safety and quality preservation.
• Conventional thermal pasteurization can impact milk's nutritional and bioactive components.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate milk deionization as a non-thermal decontamination strategy.
• To assess the impact of ionic strength reduction on microbial load and milk quality.

Main Methods:

• Selective ionic removal by dialysis to reduce milk's ionic strength.
• Microbial load assessment and physicochemical composition analysis of deionized milk.
• Evaluation of refrigerated storage stability and acidification rates.

Main Results:

• Deionization significantly reduced microbial load in raw bovine milk to pasteurization-equivalent levels.
• Physicochemical composition, including proteins and fat, was largely preserved.
• Ionic depletion enhanced endogenous antimicrobial activity and improved refrigerated storage stability, delaying acidification.

Conclusions:

• Milk deionization is a feasible non-thermal alternative to pasteurization.
• Ionic modulation is key for microbial control and quality preservation in dairy processing.
• This method shows promise for dairy and human milk preservation, maintaining bioactive components.