At Maple Hill, we know that so much magic happens on the pasture; the relationship between the cow, the land and the milk is deeply connected. It is at the heart of our grass fed difference. But in addition to the grit, emotion, and intention that goes into our dairy, there’s also quite a bit of science. After our cows are milked, our dairy goes through the process of food safety and packaging. A core component of that process is pasteurization.
As people in the business of bringing the best, highest quality dairy into your home to feed your family, food safety is absolutely non-negotiable. That’s why pasteurization plays such an important role in bringing our milk from our family farms to your family's table. And even though it’s an extra (and critical) processing step, we still retain the incredibly creamy, freshness, and sweetness of milk straight from the cow.
What is Pasteurization?
Why is Pasteurizing Dairy Important?
Maple Hill’s Ultra-Pasteurization Process
What is it? Pasteurization is a process that’s actually quite simple – at the heart of it, the idea is to heat liquid for a short time to kill foodborne or liquid-borne bacteria. The term pasteurization is named after a scientist named Louis Pasteur, who discovered the process in the 1860s. Initially Pasteur first experimented with this process on alcohol, to keep wine and beer from souring. By doing so, he discovered that heating food and liquids to a specific temperature helped kill dangerous bacteria and mold. Not only did the process make food (in his case, beverage) safer, but it also helped them last longer, because there were no foreign bodies to risk growing inside a cask or a bottle.
As a result, pasteurization was revolutionary for food, safety, and preservation of dairy and beyond. It took some time for the process to become widely accepted in food safety and preservation. In fact, it wasn’t until the 20th century that pasteurizing milk became mandatory in the United States. Today, pasteurizing milk is still standard practice for all dairy that is sold broadly in the United States.
Why is Pasteurizing Dairy Important?
As Louis Pasteur proved 150 years ago, pasteurization helps nearly eliminate the risk of foodborne illnesses by killing bacteria and pathogens like E. coli and Listeria, as well as the germs that cause dangerous illnesses like tuberculosis. Pasteurizing milk is single-handedly one of the most powerful innovations to ensure that vulnerable and immunocompromised populations– including the very young and very old– can enjoy dairy products freely.
The food safety upsides are central, and easily the most important reason for pasteurizing our dairy, but the benefits don’t end there.
By removing illness-causing bacteria and also reducing the number of other microorganisms that cause spoilage, pasteurization is also critical to extending the shelf life of dairy products. Pasteurized milk can last for several weeks under refrigeration, compared to raw milk, which spoils in a matter of days. That means not only does dairy last longer, but by extension, less dairy is thrown away and wasted from spoilage, and we can more predictably maintain a steady supply of dairy products in stores. That is actually critically important for the economics of the small family farms that make up the Maple Hill milkshed and the supply chains they rely on to distribute our milk around the country. It also helps in maintain the quality and taste of milk, because we can ensure there are no unknown substances in our dairy. We want to make sure our customers get the highest quality dairy every single time. Pasteurization helps us do that.
Maple Hill’s Ultra-Pasteurization Process
The Food and Drug Administration requires a standard pasteurization of all dairy products that are sold across the country. But like everything else we do, we go a step further. Our Whole Milk and 2% Milk are Ultra-pasteurized. Ultra-pasteurization (UP) is the process we use to ensure our milk can be safely distributed and consumed. The difference between pasteurization and ultra-pasteurization– also known as Ultra High Temperature (UHT) pasteurization– has most to do with how high the heat. In traditional pasteurization, liquid is heated to 161°F for at least 15 seconds or 145°F for 30 minutes. In Ultra-pasteurization, it’s heated to 280°F for 2 seconds. It kills dangerous bacteria fast.
An ultra-pasteurized milk carton lasts three times longer than pasteurized milk– before a carton has been opened, pasteurized milk can last up to 3 weeks, but an unopened carton of ultra-pasteurized milk can last almost 2 months. It also keeps longer in the fridge after it’s opened. That means we can retain the integrity of our milk for significantly longer, and make sure it safely makes it to all corners of the United States, for your family to enjoy.
At Maple Hill, we’ve been committed to regenerative practices since 2009 because we know the highest quality dairy begins with the health of soil, grass, and cows. We believe that 100% grass-fed organic dairy farming done right is the pinnacle of organic, nourishes families with the best nutrition, and leaves the earth better than we found it. We are proud to be selected as a USDA Climate Smart Partner — supporting the production of climate smart commodities throughout the United States.
Our 100% Grass-fed Organic dairy products include: 100% grass-fed whole milk, 100% grass-fed 2% reduced fat milk, 100% grass-fed butter (salted and unsalted), 100% grass-fed kefir (plain, vanilla, and strawberry), 100% grass-fed greek yogurt (plain and vanilla bean), and 100% grass-fed cream-on-top yogurt (plain and vanilla).
