Brussels, 28 April. Today, IDF has released Bulletin No.516 on Heat Treatments of Milk, which looks at the processing of milk, which is the oldest processing technology in the dairy sector. The following publication provides an overview of the different heat treatments applied to milk for direct consumption or before further processing and their verification procedures. The Bulletin can be served as an accompaniment to our recently published Bulletin 496 on the technology of pasteurisation and its effect on the microbiological and nutritional aspects of milk.

The 33-page publication can also be described as a very accurate global guidance, as it contains information on these treatments, not only in one country but worldwide, as most countries provide legal requirements for heat treatments of products.

Heat treatment is the most widely used processing technology in the dairy sector, which guarantees product safety and longer shelf life, without affecting its nutritional value, quality, and taste. It also serves as a technique to destroy pathogenic bacteria, stressing the importance of food safety. The bulletin also investigates the appropriate types of heat treatment for a specific food.

Furthermore, the shelf life of each product can differ depending on the time and temperature of the heat treatment. Walter Bisig, author of the publication states:

“ESL (extended shelf-life) milk is the type of milk most recently introduced to the market. It has a refrigerated shelf-life of 15 to 60 days, depending on raw milk quality, applied ESL technology, type of packaging and packaging system, the extent of post-processing contamination, and the temperature during post-processing, storage, and distribution”

Bulletin 516 on Heat Treatment of Milk is now available to download on our IDF website:

Bulletin of the IDF N° 516/2022: Heat Treatment of Milk 

You are also invited to take part in our free exclusive IDF webinar dedicated to the publication, which will be held on 28 June this year. The discussion will dive into the topic of heat treatment further by IDFs very own authors of the publication. If you are interested to attend the event, please register here.