11 Tips for Choosing Safe and Healthy Milk

There are such wide varieties of fresh milk on the market, and I want to choose something more nutritious. What should I do?

1. Although there are an impressive number of milk brands on the market, from a food production point of view, the types of milk can be classified into two categories: pasteurized milk and UHT milk, the difference being the sterilization process.

2. Pasteurised milk is ‘sterilized under low temperature’ and has a short shelf life, so it must be refrigerated and consumed soon.

Pasteurising is heating raw milk at 80-85 degrees for 10-15 seconds, which will kill some bacteria, but not entirely, so pasteurized milk only has a shelf life of 4-7 days and needs to be kept refrigerated at 2-6 degrees.

3. In supermarkets, pasteurized milk is always kept in refrigeration, in either soft bags or boxes, and the packaging is usually marked with the words pasteurized milk’ and ‘stay refrigerated. Therefore, you should always look at the date of manufacture when you buy it and pick the newest.

4. UHT milk is ‘heat sterilized,’ has a long shelf life, and does not need to be refrigerated.

Raw milk is heated to 135-140 degrees for 3-4 seconds, eliminating all microorganisms and giving it a shelf life of 6-12 months. Therefore, it can be bought for long-term storage.

5. UHT milk is generally available in Tetra Pak and boxes, not stored in refrigeration, but on the shelves at room temperature, with the words ‘UHT milk’ on the packaging.

6. A special reminder is that some businesses store milk incorrectly and may place pasteurized milk on room-temperature shelves.

So when taking milk from the room temperature shelf, check that it is ‘UHT milk’ instead of ‘pasteurized milk’ to avoid buying spoiled milk.

7. As the higher temperature and the longer the time the food takes to process, the more nutrients are lost; pasteurized milk does have more active substances than UHT milk.

It can retain more non-heat-resistant nutrients like vitamin B and folic acid.

8. There is no significant difference between the three basic nutrient groups-protein, fat, and carbohydrates-contained in the two types of milk.

You can choose if you are drinking milk just for your daily protein supplement. When choosing your milk, we recommend that you look at the protein and calcium content in the nutrition information; the higher, the better. Protein should usually be no less than 2.8g, and it’s better to go for something higher than 3g. And to get one with high calcium content, consider special high-calcium milk.

9. If you can keep the milk cool in transit, have access to refrigeration at home, and can down it, then choosing pasteurized milk is better than UHT milk.

However, if your storage conditions do not guarantee low temperatures or you can’t finish drinking within a few days, you can choose UHT ones. Although you lose a few active substances, essential nutrients such as protein and calcium can still be guaranteed.

10. Regardless of the type of milk, if you find that the packaging is ‘swollen” or if you open it and find a lot of gas inside, it is likely to be spoilt and should not be drunk.

11. If the milk is nearing the end of its shelf life and you want to tell if it has gone wrong, you can pour it into a bowl and see if the liquid is even and not layered or lumpy, and smell if it is sour. If these are normal, it is safer to boil them before drinking.

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