ESL milk

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

ESL milk ( English extended shelf life , longer life on the shelf ' ) is a milk whose durability in unopened packaging between from pasteurized (five to seven days) and that of UHT is UHT milk (three to six months). In contrast to pasteurized and long-life milk, the exact method of preservation ( high pasteurization ) is not defined by law: after the microorganisms have been mechanically separated, it is heated more than pasteurized milk, but not as strongly as long-life milk . Manufacturers cite the better taste and higher vitamin content compared to long-life milk and the longer shelf life compared to pasteurized milk as advantages.

The supply of fresh milk has largely been replaced by ESL milk.

Definitions and labeling

The term extended shelf life (ESL) is not defined by law. ESL milk, like pasteurized milk, must be refrigerated (8–10 ° C). The shelf life is about 12 to 21 days in the closed packaging; at a storage temperature of 5 ° C, this shelf life can often be extended to 20 to 40 days. ESL milk produced using thermal processes initially had to be labeled as highly heated ; this obligation no longer applies since August 2007. Since then, such milk, like fresh milk, can only be declared as pasteurized . ESL milk has been available in stores since 1990. It is usually referred to and advertised on the packaging as “longer fresh”, “longer fresh milk”, “extra long fresh”, “longer shelf life” or similar.

The dairy industry made a voluntary commitment to label it as “fresh milk - traditionally produced” for the previous fresh milk and “fresh milk - longer shelf life” for ESL milk. The Federation of German Consumer Organizations rejects this labeling as additional misleading.

Manufacturing

The classic methods of preserving milk are thermal processes, i.e. heating:

In terms of production, ESL milk is somewhere between pasteurization and ultra-high temperature heating.

The longer shelf life can be achieved by various methods:

  • Instead of indirect heating in the plate apparatus ( heat exchanger ), faster heating with direct steam injection to 127 degrees Celsius can be carried out. It is then aseptically homogenized and cooled down to 3 to 5 degrees Celsius ( downdraft heating ).
  • The majority of the microorganisms contained in the product can be separated mechanically by means of microfiltration with membranes. This method is not approved in Germany for the sole preservation of milk. a. different enzymes are not separated or inactivated with membranes. The combination of membrane separation and thermal treatment enables the thermal treatment to be shortened in a way that is gentler on the product.
  • Microorganisms are centrifuged off by means of bactofugation and then killed by heating.
  • Another approach is the use of depth filters . The technical effort seems to be less here, a complete separation is not necessary, since a thermal treatment is carried out afterwards.

In addition to the actual production process, upstream and downstream factors (raw milk quality, process hygiene, packaging, and storage and distribution conditions) also play a role with regard to the quality and stability of the milk.

As a rule, the consumer cannot identify which process is used in production, since there is no labeling requirement for this. The process is sometimes mentioned on the packaging.

properties

taste

According to Stiftung Warentest, ESL milk tastes “just as fresh as conventionally pasteurized milk”.

Deviations in taste essentially depend on the treatment method. When using the microfiltration process, the cooking taste is less intense as an off- flavor , since this process does not require heating to 120 ° C.

advantages

The longer shelf life compared to exclusively pasteurized fresh milk is a significant advantage for retailers . While pasteurized milk has to be sold off within a few days, ESL milk can be ordered in larger quantities in advance. The risk of ordering too much or too little milk is much lower for retailers and distributors and orders can be combined in time.

disadvantage

The long best- before date (BBD) refers to the closed packaging; after opening, "longer-fresh" milk can only be kept for up to a week, provided it is below the BBD, and only if it is kept refrigerated. If it is not cooled sufficiently, it will spoil quickly without this being immediately apparent from the taste . When opened, it has about the same shelf life as fresh pasteurized milk.

ingredients

Vitamin content

The loss of vitamins caused by the heating process from the outset is around 10% compared to raw milk . It increases further with storage: z. B. 5-15% (total 14.5-23.5%) of vitamin B1 and up to 7% (total 16.3%) of vitamin B6 . The ESL milk produced by means of an indirect heating process has a significantly better shelf life of the vitamins than directly heated ESL milk.

Heat indicators

ESL milk contains high levels of heat indicators such as lactulose and furosin . So far, there are no legally prescribed limit values ​​for them.

Legal situation and labeling practice

In the EU it is disputed whether milk treated by downdraft heating (high heating) is to be equated with pasteurized fresh milk under food law. Some countries, e.g. B. Austria or Italy, stipulate a consumption period of a maximum of five days after the filling date for pasteurized fresh milk. Otherwise the milk should not be marketed under the label "fresh".

Germany makes a fundamental distinction between pasteurized fresh milk and milk treated by downdraft heating. The latter, which differs from traditional fresh milk in that it has a longer shelf life of 15 to 20 days, can still be labeled “fresh” on the label. It is also often the case that the label “pasteurized” is present on the ESL milk packaging, even though the contents have been downdrafted. With a number of manufacturers, the products are differentiated by the information “longer shelf life” (falling-stream heated milk) and “traditionally produced” (for pasteurized fresh milk), so that the consumer can use these manufacturer names and the effective shelf life as a guide.

The Federal Association of Consumer Organizations called for a clear legal definition of “fresh milk” on the occasion of a Bundestag debate on the subject on February 13, 2009. “The term fresh milk should be reserved for the usual pasteurized milk,” explains board member Gerd Billen. The federal government must ensure through binding labeling regulations that consumers can differentiate between fresh milk, long-life milk and ESL milk at a glance.

Trade names

ESL milk is offered in retail in Germany under the following trade names, for example:

literature

  • Theresa Bernhardt: Just a labeling problem? - About the market launch of ESL milk, conflicts and outstanding quality issues . In: The Critical Agricultural Report 2011 . AbL Bauernblatt Verlag, Hamm 2010
  • Marco Kratz: Microbiological quality parameters and proof of the heating of drinking milk from various production methods , inaugural dissertation to obtain the degree of Dr. med. vet. at the Department of Veterinary Medicine at the Justus Liebig University in Giessen. VVB Lauffersweiler Verlag, Giessen 2014

Web links

Footnotes

Remarks

  1. ↑ Online . On Kritischer-agrarbericht.de, accessed on July 30, 2018 ( PDF , approx. 186 KB)
  2. ↑ Online . At geb.uni-giessen.de, accessed on July 30, 2018 ( PDF , approx. 6.42 MB)

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Lebensmittellexikon.de : high pasteurization, high pasteurization
  2. ↑ a b http://www.vzbv.de/go/presse/1121/index.html?ref_presseinfo=true  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. .@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www.vzbv.de  
  3. ↑ Meierei Trittau: Longer Fresh Milk. Archived from the original on August 4, 2012 ; accessed on February 5, 2017 .
  4. ↑ http://www.landwirtschaft-mlr.baden-wuerttemberg.de/servlet/PB/menu/1062178_l1/index1060773659209.html "What is 'longer fresh' milk?", LEL Schwäbisch Gmünd (Ministry for Food and Rural Areas Baden- Württemberg).
  5. ↑ Longer shelf life milk is better labeled ( Memento of February 8, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Message for labeling in the news ticker of the “Sueddeutsche Zeitung”, published on February 4, 2009 at 9:54 am.
  6. ↑ ESL-Milch: Legislators must end consumer deception , February 12, 2009 (accessed on December 15, 2011)
  7. ↑ V. Kaufmann, U. Kulozik: Combination of microfiltration and thermal processes to extend the shelf life of food. In: Chemical Engineer Technology. 78, 2006, p. 1647, doi : 10.1002 / cite.200600094 .
  8. ↑ HPLC analysis of native beta-lactoglobulin as a heating indicator in ESL milk. Eva-Maria Reiterer, Diploma thesis University of Vienna 2009 ( [1] )
  9. ↑ Stiftung Warentest: The good, old fresh milk quietly disappears in: test 03/2009 (accessed on February 1, 2013)
  10. ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original from September 28, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Article about ESL milk in “Maillaiter” May 2004 by Swiss milk producers. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.swissmilk.ch
  11. ↑ Extended shelf life (ESL) milk. Milk with excessive heat stress?
  12. ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original from February 21, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Bear brand product information from the dairy. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.allgaeuer-alpenmilch.de
  13. ↑ http://www.molkerei-weihenstephan.de/esl_milch.0.html Product information from the Weihenstephan dairy.