Packaging protects probiotic yogurt and milk from light exposure damage

light-protected milk — If companies work with Noluma International to make sure dairy packaging blocks all light, they get certified to add the Noluma logo to their packaging.

*Photo courtesy of Noluma International*

Two dairy companies have attained certification for their packaging to protect probiotic yogurt and milk from light exposure damage.

Certification company Noluma International says its research shows that lights, including fluorescents and LEDs, in stores and other places can degrade milk’s vitamins, nutrients, freshness, quality and taste in less than an hour.

Lancaster Local, a Lancaster, Pa.-based community of dairy farmers teamed with the company to design packaging for its new, organic milk with A2A2 protein.

“Our dairy comes from grass-fed cows raised on small, family-owned farms, and our farmers work hard to provide the best farm-fresh milk available in the Lancaster area,” said Philip Lehman, managing director of Swiss Villa LLC, Lancaster Local’s packaging provider and distribution partner. “With Noluma’s technology, we were able to design a light-protected bottle that preserves the product’s quality, nutritional contents and fresh flavor throughout its full shelf life.”

Honest Dairy, of Guongzhou in China, worked with Noluma to develop certified packaging for its Body Knows yogurt, which Noluma says is a first for yogurt in the country. The bottles extend the shelf life from 18 to 21 days, Noluma says.

“When they (consumers) see the Noluma logo, they’ll know that they’re buying a product that promises freshness, nutritional qualities and improved taste, along with all the benefits of LGG probiotics,” Honest Dairy Founder Xia Haitong says.

Noluma debuted patented technology in 2018 that measures and assesses packaging’s ability to protect contents from light degradation with more accuracy and efficiency than existing methods, the company says.

“In a world where consumers increasingly expect more from the brands they trust, Noluma certification promises that the products they love maintain their quality over time,” Noluma President and CEO Divya Chopra says.

Noluma scientists use a known marker ingredient in the contents of a test package, exposing it to intense light that replicates two weeks of exposure in just two hours. Manufacturers better understand their package vulnerabilities and work with Noluma to design and certify packaging that offers total light block.

Companies with certification can add the Noluma logo to their packaging.

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Rose Shilling is a previous managing editor of Food Engineering Magazine. She wrote feature stories on a variety of topics and tracked the food packaging industry. A journalist with an editing background at news services and newspapers, she also has driven editorial projects in health care and higher education.