The newest information popping out about uncooked milk is cool — as in temperature cool. That is because of a expertise that eliminates pathogens that may be in uncooked milk whereas preserving the enzymes, proteins and immunity-supporting compounds, which advocates say are sometimes destroyed by conventional heat-based pasteurization.
Public well being officers say there isn’t a proof that pasteurization reduces the wholesome parts of uncooked milk and that its advantages far outlaw any perceived issues.
This newest information relies on a complicated non-thermal UV mild expertise, TruActive, developed by Tamarack Biotics, led by meals scientist Bob Comstock, based mostly in Fresno, CA.

The corporate has just lately gained FDA acceptance for its light-based therapy course of.
Merely put, the method eliminates the necessity to pasteurize milk to attain what many raw-milk advocates need — no pathogens however the entire goodness that uncooked milk provides.
It additionally kills avian flu, an issue that has just lately vexed raw-milk producers.
However not there but
Whereas the FDA’s willpower confirms that the Tamarack Bitotics technique meets official standards for pasteurization, at this level the thumbs-up from the company solely permits it to be initially used within the manufacturing of powdered dairy components reminiscent of whey protein focus, milk protein focus and immune-supporting compounds like lactoferrin.
Tamarack has additionally began increasing TruActive to different dairy merchandise reminiscent of cheese, yogurt, kefir and colostrum.
Trying forward, the corporate stated these steps may pave the best way for acceptance of TruActive therapy of liquid uncooked milk as early as 2027. In different phrases, it could possibly be a potential various to pasteurized liquid uncooked milk.
“That is safer than heat-based pasteurization,” Comstock stated. “We kill extra pathogens and higher than warmth.”
For the dairy business, mild remedy to pasteurize milk is nothing new. For instance, within the Nineteen Thirties, Carnation milk really proclaimed on the labels of its cans of evaporated milk that it had been irradiated, which the corporate stated leads to extra of the “sunshine vitamin D” within the milk. This was particularly necessary in growing “sturdy and straight bones,” so necessary in the nation’s efforts to eradicate rickets.
Many milk corporations adopted swimsuit
Ionizing radiation refers to a course of that has sufficient vitality to interrupt an electron away from an atom.As such, it could possibly change the chemical composition of the fabric it interacts with. Within the case of meals it improves the protection and extends the shelf lifetime of meals by decreasing or eliminating microorganisms and bugs.
“Tens of millions and hundreds of thousands of youngsters consumed irradiated milk again then,” stated Comstock.
Go right here to learn extra about Carnation’s “Sunshine Milk.
At the moment, Vitamin D is added to nearly all pasteurized cow’s milk.
Comstock predicts that in 5 to fifteen years, dairies and processors will convert to UV mild expertise.
And, no, this gained’t be utilized by solely what some individuals would discuss with as “company agriculture.”
“It’s really very straightforward to put in,” Comstock stated, referring to the potential adaptation by household farmers. For instance, the UV mild used on this expertise lasts 16,000 hours and the sunshine could be changed for $200.
He additionally stated that companie’s light-focusing therapy preserves the style and creaminess of uncooked milk, which “a rising variety of individuals have rediscovered.” Federal statistics present that about 3 p.c of individuals in America drink uncooked milk.
Comstock stated he has invested hundreds of thousands of {dollars} and a few years on this challenge.
A homerun?
Mark McAfee, whose dairy firm Uncooked Farm, based mostly in Fresno, CA, is the nation’s largest producer of natural uncooked milk at 70,000 gallons every week, stated he “helps Comstock all the best way.” However he stated his firm’s superior UV mild remedy has not but been authorised for liquid entire milk.
“If he succeeds, will probably be an enormous dwelling run for the business,” he stated.
Uncooked Farms has had quite a few remembers and lately and has been linked to outbreaks. And final December, it needed to recall all of its uncooked milk and cream merchandise after exams turned up optimistic for hen flu contamination.
Different raw-milk dairies throughout the nation have additionally run into issues. Simply this month, customers who bought Byers Natural Dairy (Pennsylvania) model uncooked milk bought July 8 and July 10, with sell-by dates of July 22 and July 23 have been instructed to discard it after routine milk samples have been examined and confirmed to be contaminated with Shigatoxin-producing E. coli.
Go right here for an inventory of uncooked dairy remembers in the USA and Canada from 2022 to February 2025. Many are linked to foodborne contaminants in milk.
And whereas McAfee stated that Comstock’s “breakthrough” holds nice promise, his milk gained’t be one that buyers will need for one easy purpose: as a result of it has been processed.
Dick Klein, a retired dairy farmer Western Washington, stated if this works for producers and handlers, they wouldn’t have to fret about getting individuals sick from micro organism that could possibly be within the milk.
“And it’ll open up the marketplace for household farmers who as soon as once more have the ability to promote a contemporary product,” he stated.
But as a dairy farmer he is aware of issues can go fallacious regardless of how cautious you might be. There could be breakdowns in a farm’s system the place cleanliness won’t be one hundred pc.
“Nothing’s excellent on a farm,” he stated.
He additionally wonders why “somebody hasn’t give you this earlier than.”
The longer term
“Protected therapy of milk hasn’t basically modified in over 150 years,” stated Comstock, referring to warmth pasteurizetion. ”We’ve created an answer that brings uncooked milk security into the twenty first century, with out sacrificing what makes milk really nutritious. Our UV course of really achieves a better stage of security than thermal pasteurization, which is really outstanding.”
How is milk pasteurized
Within the overwhelming majority of milk processing vegetation, chilled uncooked milk is heated by passing it between heated stainless-steel plates till it reaches 161 levels Fahrenheit. It’s then held at that temperature for 15 seconds earlier than it’s shortly cooled again to its authentic temperature of 39 levels.
This warmth kills the foodborne pathogens that is likely to be within the milk, however opponents of pasteurization says it could possibly additionally kill enzymes, proteins and immunity-supported compounds. For a lot of, because of this they purchase and drink uncooked milk — and feed it to their households.
Nevertheless, in accordance with the FDA, CDC and state public well being businesses pasteurization successfully kills uncooked milk pathogens with none important influence on milk’s dietary high quality.
Go right here to get FDA’s rundown about what the company refers to as misconceptions and risks related to uncooked milk as in comparison with pasteurized milk.
(To join a free subscription to Meals Security Information, click on right here)
The newest information popping out about uncooked milk is cool — as in temperature cool. That is because of a expertise that eliminates pathogens that may be in uncooked milk whereas preserving the enzymes, proteins and immunity-supporting compounds, which advocates say are sometimes destroyed by conventional heat-based pasteurization.
Public well being officers say there isn’t a proof that pasteurization reduces the wholesome parts of uncooked milk and that its advantages far outlaw any perceived issues.
This newest information relies on a complicated non-thermal UV mild expertise, TruActive, developed by Tamarack Biotics, led by meals scientist Bob Comstock, based mostly in Fresno, CA.

The corporate has just lately gained FDA acceptance for its light-based therapy course of.
Merely put, the method eliminates the necessity to pasteurize milk to attain what many raw-milk advocates need — no pathogens however the entire goodness that uncooked milk provides.
It additionally kills avian flu, an issue that has just lately vexed raw-milk producers.
However not there but
Whereas the FDA’s willpower confirms that the Tamarack Bitotics technique meets official standards for pasteurization, at this level the thumbs-up from the company solely permits it to be initially used within the manufacturing of powdered dairy components reminiscent of whey protein focus, milk protein focus and immune-supporting compounds like lactoferrin.
Tamarack has additionally began increasing TruActive to different dairy merchandise reminiscent of cheese, yogurt, kefir and colostrum.
Trying forward, the corporate stated these steps may pave the best way for acceptance of TruActive therapy of liquid uncooked milk as early as 2027. In different phrases, it could possibly be a potential various to pasteurized liquid uncooked milk.
“That is safer than heat-based pasteurization,” Comstock stated. “We kill extra pathogens and higher than warmth.”
For the dairy business, mild remedy to pasteurize milk is nothing new. For instance, within the Nineteen Thirties, Carnation milk really proclaimed on the labels of its cans of evaporated milk that it had been irradiated, which the corporate stated leads to extra of the “sunshine vitamin D” within the milk. This was particularly necessary in growing “sturdy and straight bones,” so necessary in the nation’s efforts to eradicate rickets.
Many milk corporations adopted swimsuit
Ionizing radiation refers to a course of that has sufficient vitality to interrupt an electron away from an atom.As such, it could possibly change the chemical composition of the fabric it interacts with. Within the case of meals it improves the protection and extends the shelf lifetime of meals by decreasing or eliminating microorganisms and bugs.
“Tens of millions and hundreds of thousands of youngsters consumed irradiated milk again then,” stated Comstock.
Go right here to learn extra about Carnation’s “Sunshine Milk.
At the moment, Vitamin D is added to nearly all pasteurized cow’s milk.
Comstock predicts that in 5 to fifteen years, dairies and processors will convert to UV mild expertise.
And, no, this gained’t be utilized by solely what some individuals would discuss with as “company agriculture.”
“It’s really very straightforward to put in,” Comstock stated, referring to the potential adaptation by household farmers. For instance, the UV mild used on this expertise lasts 16,000 hours and the sunshine could be changed for $200.
He additionally stated that companie’s light-focusing therapy preserves the style and creaminess of uncooked milk, which “a rising variety of individuals have rediscovered.” Federal statistics present that about 3 p.c of individuals in America drink uncooked milk.
Comstock stated he has invested hundreds of thousands of {dollars} and a few years on this challenge.
A homerun?
Mark McAfee, whose dairy firm Uncooked Farm, based mostly in Fresno, CA, is the nation’s largest producer of natural uncooked milk at 70,000 gallons every week, stated he “helps Comstock all the best way.” However he stated his firm’s superior UV mild remedy has not but been authorised for liquid entire milk.
“If he succeeds, will probably be an enormous dwelling run for the business,” he stated.
Uncooked Farms has had quite a few remembers and lately and has been linked to outbreaks. And final December, it needed to recall all of its uncooked milk and cream merchandise after exams turned up optimistic for hen flu contamination.
Different raw-milk dairies throughout the nation have additionally run into issues. Simply this month, customers who bought Byers Natural Dairy (Pennsylvania) model uncooked milk bought July 8 and July 10, with sell-by dates of July 22 and July 23 have been instructed to discard it after routine milk samples have been examined and confirmed to be contaminated with Shigatoxin-producing E. coli.
Go right here for an inventory of uncooked dairy remembers in the USA and Canada from 2022 to February 2025. Many are linked to foodborne contaminants in milk.
And whereas McAfee stated that Comstock’s “breakthrough” holds nice promise, his milk gained’t be one that buyers will need for one easy purpose: as a result of it has been processed.
Dick Klein, a retired dairy farmer Western Washington, stated if this works for producers and handlers, they wouldn’t have to fret about getting individuals sick from micro organism that could possibly be within the milk.
“And it’ll open up the marketplace for household farmers who as soon as once more have the ability to promote a contemporary product,” he stated.
But as a dairy farmer he is aware of issues can go fallacious regardless of how cautious you might be. There could be breakdowns in a farm’s system the place cleanliness won’t be one hundred pc.
“Nothing’s excellent on a farm,” he stated.
He additionally wonders why “somebody hasn’t give you this earlier than.”
The longer term
“Protected therapy of milk hasn’t basically modified in over 150 years,” stated Comstock, referring to warmth pasteurizetion. ”We’ve created an answer that brings uncooked milk security into the twenty first century, with out sacrificing what makes milk really nutritious. Our UV course of really achieves a better stage of security than thermal pasteurization, which is really outstanding.”
How is milk pasteurized
Within the overwhelming majority of milk processing vegetation, chilled uncooked milk is heated by passing it between heated stainless-steel plates till it reaches 161 levels Fahrenheit. It’s then held at that temperature for 15 seconds earlier than it’s shortly cooled again to its authentic temperature of 39 levels.
This warmth kills the foodborne pathogens that is likely to be within the milk, however opponents of pasteurization says it could possibly additionally kill enzymes, proteins and immunity-supported compounds. For a lot of, because of this they purchase and drink uncooked milk — and feed it to their households.
Nevertheless, in accordance with the FDA, CDC and state public well being businesses pasteurization successfully kills uncooked milk pathogens with none important influence on milk’s dietary high quality.
Go right here to get FDA’s rundown about what the company refers to as misconceptions and risks related to uncooked milk as in comparison with pasteurized milk.
(To join a free subscription to Meals Security Information, click on right here)