What is microfiltered milk, and what’s its shelf life?

“The newer, microfiltered milk has the advantage of filtering out the bacteria while retaining the farm-fresh taste,” Morton  Satin says in his recent book Food Alert!. This filtering process, popular in Canada, may remove the types of spoilage bacteria that regular pasteurization can’t destroy and has the potential to extend the shelf life of milk products “by weeks,” according to the International Dairy Foods Association.  However, the FDA hasn’t approved microfiltration as a substitute for pasteurization in the U.S. Food scientist Susan Brewer, points out that, while it may be possible to filter out bacteria, questions remain about viruses.  UHT and microfiltration must achieve the same level of microbial reduction as standard pasteurization.
 
Sources:
Susan Brewer, Ph.D. The University of Illinois, Department of Food Safety and Human Nutrition

Food Alert! by Morton Satin, second edition, 2008.

International Dairy Foods Association Milk Technology Conference Presentation

Cary Frye, vice-president of regulatory affairs for the International Dairy Foods Association