Scientists at a leading dairy research center are helping to engineer systems that could make transoceanic shipments of raw milk an accepted practice.
Much of Hotchkiss' research in the last decade has focused on carbon dioxide (CO2) as an antimicrobial agent and packaging tool to extend shelf life. He and his Cornell colleagues have advanced the use of CO2 in a number of dairy applications, including cottage cheese, ice cream and raw milk concentrates and fractions. Their current focus is on CO2 as an aid for transoceanic shipments of raw milk. With a grant from Dairy Management Inc., Hotchkiss and his colleagues are experimenting with shipping containers filled with raw milk and dissolved CO2. Preliminary results suggest product can be delivered to ports an ocean away with lower standard plate counts than it contained at the beginning of the journey. It's an example of what Hotchkiss defines as active packaging: containers that interact with product to improve quality, safety, shelf life and usability.