Zapping pathogens could be breakthrough for raw milk

The latest news coming out about raw milk is cool — as in temperature cool. This is thanks to a technology that eliminates pathogens that can be in raw milk while preserving the enzymes, proteins and immunity-supporting compounds, which advocates say are often destroyed by traditional heat-based pasteurization. 

Public health officials say there is no evidence that pasteurization reduces the healthy components of raw milk and that its benefits far outlaw any perceived problems.

This latest news is based on an advanced non-thermal UV light technology, TruActive, developed by Tamarack Biotics, led by food scientist Bob Comstock, based in Fresno, CA.  

The company has recently won FDA acceptance for its light-based treatment process.

Simply put, the process eliminates the need to pasteurize milk to achieve what many raw-milk advocates want — no pathogens but all of the goodness that raw milk offers.

It also kills avian flu, a problem that has recently vexed raw-milk producers.

But not there yet
While the FDA’s determination confirms that the Tamarack Bitotics method meets official criteria for pasteurization, at this point the thumbs-up from the agency only allows it to be initially used in the production of powdered dairy ingredients such as whey protein concentrate, milk protein concentrate and immune-supporting compounds like lactoferrin.

Tamarack has also started expanding TruActive to other dairy products such as cheese, yogurt, kefir and colostrum. 

Looking ahead, the company said these steps could pave the way for acceptance of TruActive treatment of liquid raw milk as early as 2027. In other words, it could be a possible alternative to pasteurized liquid raw milk.

“This is safer than heat-based pasteurization,” Comstock said. “We kill more pathogens and better than heat.”

For the dairy industry, light therapy to pasteurize milk is nothing new. For example, in the 1930s, Carnation milk actually proclaimed on the labels of its cans of evaporated milk that it had been irradiated, which the company said results in more of the “sunshine vitamin D” in the milk. This was especially important in developing “strong and straight bones,” so important in  the nation’s efforts to eradicate rickets. 

Many milk companies followed suit
Ionizing radiation refers to a process that has enough energy to break an electron away from an atom.As such, it can change the chemical composition of the material it interacts with. In the case of food it improves the safety and extends the shelf life of foods by reducing or eliminating microorganisms and insects.

“Millions and millions of kids consumed irradiated milk back then,” said Comstock.

Go here to read more about Carnation’s “Sunshine Milk.

Currently, Vitamin D is added to almost all pasteurized cow’s milk.

Comstock predicts that in 5 to 15 years, dairies and processors will convert to UV light technology.

And, no, this won’t be used by only what some people would refer to as “corporate agriculture.”

“It’s actually very easy to install,” Comstock said, referring to the possible adaptation by family farmers. For example, the UV light used in this technology lasts 16,000 hours and the light can be replaced for $200.

He also said that companie’s light-focusing treatment preserves the taste and creaminess of raw milk, which “a growing number of people have rediscovered.” Federal statistics show that about 3 percent of people in America drink raw milk. 

Comstock said he has invested millions of dollars and many years on this project. 

A homerun?
Mark McAfee, whose dairy company Raw Farm, based in Fresno, CA,  is the nation’s largest producer of organic raw milk at 70,000 gallons each week, said he “supports Comstock all the way.” But he said his company’s advanced UV light therapy has not yet been approved for liquid whole milk.

“If he succeeds, it will be a massive home run for the industry,” he said.

Raw Farms has had numerous recalls and in recent years and has been linked to outbreaks. And last December, it had to recall all of its raw milk and cream products after tests turned up positive for bird flu contamination.

Other raw-milk dairies across the nation have also run into problems. Just this month, consumers who purchased Byers Organic Dairy (Pennsylvania) brand raw milk purchased July 8 and July 10, with sell-by dates of July 22 and July 23 were told to discard it after routine milk samples were tested and confirmed to be contaminated with Shigatoxin-producing E. coli.

Go here for a list of raw dairy recalls in the United States and Canada from 2022 to February 2025. Many are linked to foodborne contaminants in milk.

And while McAfee said that Comstock’s “breakthrough” holds great promise, his milk won’t be one that consumers will want for one simple reason: because it has been processed.

Dick Klein, a retired dairy farmer Western Washington, said if this works for producers and handlers, they wouldn’t have to worry about getting people sick from bacteria that could be in the milk.

“And it will open up the market for family farmers who once again be able to sell a fresh product,” he said.

Yet as a dairy farmer he knows things can go wrong no matter how careful you are. There can be breakdowns in a farm’s system where cleanliness might not be 100 percent. 

“Nothing’s perfect on a farm,” he said.

He also wonders why “someone hasn’t come up with this before.”

The future
“Safe treatment of milk hasn’t fundamentally changed in over 150 years,” said Comstock, referring to heat pasteurizetion. ”We’ve created a solution that brings raw milk safety into the 21st century, without sacrificing what makes milk truly nutritious. Our UV process actually achieves a greater level of safety than thermal pasteurization, which is truly remarkable.”

How is milk pasteurized
In the vast majority of milk processing plants, chilled raw milk is heated by passing it between heated stainless-steel plates until it reaches 161 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s then held at that temperature for 15 seconds before it’s quickly cooled back to its original temperature of 39 degrees. 

This heat kills the foodborne pathogens that might be in the milk, but opponents of pasteurization says it can also kill enzymes,  proteins and immunity-supported compounds. For many, this is why they buy and drink raw milk — and feed it to their families.

However, according to the FDA, CDC and state public health agencies pasteurization effectively kills raw milk pathogens without any significant impact on milk’s nutritional quality.

Go here to get FDA’s rundown about what the agency refers to as misconceptions and dangers associated with raw milk as compared to pasteurized milk.

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