Dehydrating Milk

Discussion in 'Back to Basics' started by Motomom34, Oct 23, 2016.


  1. Motomom34

    Motomom34 Monkey+++

    Milk is an issue. The milk that I bought in a #10 can does not have much of a shelf life, neither does Nido. I ran across Perky Prepping Gramma and she dehydrates milk. I have looked at my fruit trays and the lip is really little. I made a huge mess but lessons learned- Gramma was correct, pour the milk on the fruit tray when in the dehydrator. Make sure the dehydrator is where you are going to keep it the whole time, moving it makes a mess. It takes over 12 hours to dehydrate a very little amount of work. My conclusion is that it is not worth not time, money, effort with such a small yield.

    Here is Perky Prepping Gramma's dehydrating milk article if you would like to try this at home. She also dehydrates lattes and stuff.

    How To Dehydrate Milk for Long Term Storage

    Please follow link for complete article Perky Prepping Gramma: How To Dehydrate Milk for Long Term Storage
     
  2. Meat

    Meat Monkey+++

    Yes. I'll need milk for my cereal when SHTF. I love cereal. :D
     
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  3. Thunder5Ranch

    Thunder5Ranch Monkey+++

    I played with dehydrating and freeze drying milk and concluded that it is a great way to waste a lot of time to make very little of something that really does not taste that good. Better to just hit walmart and get the big boxes of great value powdered milk. Or keep a milk cow or a milk goat and enjoy the fresh milk if you have the space.

    Not a big cereal fan but I would perish without biscuits and gravy :)
     
  4. azrancher

    azrancher Monkey +++

    MM34, where do you get the fruit trays with the lips, I want to dehydrate eggs when I start up my free range chicken ranch. (For the Excalibur)

    Rancher
     
    Last edited: Oct 23, 2016
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  5. Bandit99

    Bandit99 Monkey+++ Site Supporter+

    @Motomom34 What about UHT milk? Actually, that is about all I used for all the years I was overseas and it keeps quite a long time, ~1 year if I remember correctly. I still have not found a good supplier in the states for it. Needs no refrigeration. Lasts a couple of weeks after opening like normal milk. Taste is a bit different, might take getting use to but it's not unpleasant just different.

    I would greatly appreciate it if anybody knows where I can purchase UHT milk? I tried Walmart and a few others but most here don't even know what it is. "UHT stands for ultra high temperature — the ultra pasteurization part of the process..."
     
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  6. DKR

    DKR Raconteur of the first stripe

    We buy our UHT milk at Sam's or Costco (about the only reason i would shop there. It comes in cases of 1 QT boxes and is labled Nestle's - packed by an outfit in Utah (Gosners) - all we use is skim milk now.

    AS for dehydrating your own - you are correct, not only a waste of time but a good way to get sick. Non-instant, non-fat Dry Milk is no more expensive than buying local dairy for DIY - and done under far stricter sanitary conditions. NIDO is whole milk so doesn't store more than a year.

    NDM - packed properly - is good for decades.

    Zombie Squad • View topic - Adventures in rice, beans and bulk dry milk storage this link discusses storage of powdery things - like milk, dry potatoes and the like. Read the full post set, has some good 'food math' as well.
     
  7. Ura-Ki

    Ura-Ki Grampa Monkey

    I will see if I can source the companies in Europe that can import the TetraPac milk and dairy products available over there! We had TetraPac milk in the A.F. and the shelf life was awesome, IIRC, it was 5 years un opened and several days after AT ROOM TEMPS!!! Tasted pretty good and could be had from colored water all the way up to 3.5 fat for drinking and as far up as butter for cooking and baking needs!
     
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  8. DKR

    DKR Raconteur of the first stripe

    For that may not be familiar with UHT - here is a monograph (read it all, has lots of good information) covering all aspects of UHT milk.

    UHT Milk Processing and Effect of Plasmin Activity on Shelf Life: A Review - Chavan - 2011 - Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety - Wiley Online Library

    Sample of the text found at link

    Plasmin Activity
    Since the adoption of refrigerated bulk tanks for the collection and storage of milk, the predominant organisms in milk are now psychrotrophic bacteria. These are organisms that are able to grow at temperatures below 7 °C, although their optimum growth temperature may lie between 20 and 30 °C. The majority of the psychrotrophic bacteria (excluding Bacillus spp.) are destroyed by pasteurization, but they produce extracellular enzymes that are extremely thermostable. The most important of these enzymes from the commercial viewpoint are the proteases and lipases, both of which are able to withstand high temperature short time and UHT treatments. Proteolysis in UHT milk can cause the development of bitter flavor and lead to an increase in viscosity, with eventual formation of a gel during storage, which is a major factor limiting its shelf life and market potential. The enzymes responsible for the proteolysis are the native milk alkaline proteinase, plasmin, and heat-stable extracellular bacterial proteinases produced by psychrotrophic bacterial contaminants in raw milk. Proteolysis of casein caused by plasmin is responsible for gelation and bitterness of UHT milk during storage.

    BTW - gelation is the major limiting factor to UHT used in home storage. You'll see clumps of 'stuff' coming out of the package when the UHT is been inn storage for more than a year.

    Also -

    Factors that influence the shelf life of UHT milk are age of cow, stage of lactation, seasonal changes, microbial quality of raw milk, storage temperature, fat content of milk, and hydrolysis of lactose.

    Seasonal variations in the composition of milk may indirectly affect the gelation behavior of UHT-sterilized milk. Spring and late autumn milk shows more age gelation problems than milk produced in other seasons; this can be attributed to the mineral composition of milk (Hardham and Auldist 1996). Zadow and Chituta (1975) observed that milk produced between August and October was more prone to gel during storage than that produced during the remainder of the year. Gel time was ranging from 77 to 140 d as compared with 120 to 180 d. Spring milk has higher values of pH, lactose, soluble phosphate, and micellar hydration than milk collected in autumn, while spring milk has low fat and heat stability
    So - check the date packaged.
     
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  9. Bandit99

    Bandit99 Monkey+++ Site Supporter+

    @DKR Thanks! We use Costco but I never saw it there, that would be great if they have it. I will look again and praise your name if I find it. :) I'll let you know. All I know about UHT milk is I drank it for - well - longer than I care to think about and never had a problem with it, actually, I even prefer it now. In many countries that is the only milk you can buy unless your neighbor has a cow. And, we were drinking 2% UHT prior to returning stateside...

    @Ura-Ki Please let me know what you find out, especially if you get a source. I have a couple of #10 cans of dehydrated milk but that stuff really is for emergencies. However, the UHT stuff could be for both, normal daily and emergency use, and used prior to the dehydrated.
     
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  10. Ura-Ki

    Ura-Ki Grampa Monkey

    A few years ago, IKEA was selling TetraPac Milk at pretty good prices, but has stopped ( for reasons unknown) But I will keep digging! This thread really got me thinkin, I cannot live with out my milk, so I gotta find a open source for import ( no easy with food items) We also had a bunch of pallets of Brit RatPack's that were sent over for Katrina, that the Gov, refused and put in storage some place, I need to find those as well, or find the source to get more!
     
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  11. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    We get two cases of Goosner (UHT) Milk, with our Winter supplies, every September, along with, usually a Case or two, left over in the Store Stock... never had an issue with it, if used in under a year... Momma can't drink it (lactose intolerant) but she can use it in cooked foods, and baking.... We get a case of Lactose Free Boxed Milk for her, so she can have FruitLoops & Milk, each morning... it is very nice, for us, as our Food Storage Area is kept at about 40F, during the winters, so not having to operate a Refer, is a power-saver...
     
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  12. DKR

    DKR Raconteur of the first stripe

    Well, Costco stores carry different hing based on location - even here in Anchorage the north side stores lacks many things found in the south side (well-to-do) outlet. UHT milk - well even Sailor Boy crackers / Pilot bread seems easier to find in AK...

    Many folks don't care for the taste of UHT milk, and that might limit the sales areas.

    Also it is Gossner foods that packs for Nestles'.
    Gossner Foods | Home
     
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  13. Bandit99

    Bandit99 Monkey+++ Site Supporter+

    @DKR I did a query on the Costco website for 'UHT milk' and it came up empty but that might just mean it is not offered online. I bet you are right that it is store specific so betting that mine will not be carrying it but I can hope (seems I'm doing a lot of that lately...speaking about upcoming coming election). I would bet that due to 'taste' as you pointed out most lower 48 stores don't carry it. Why carry it if people don't buy it and they won't if they have access to plenty of fresh milk. You guys have access to it up North because it keeps a long time and...no sure how many cows you got up there. :)
     
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  14. Motomom34

    Motomom34 Monkey+++

    We discussed UHT during the monkey challenge. Milk | Survival Monkey Forums

    I have a Nesco dehydrator and it came with fruit roll up trays. They are slightly lipped but make sure things are 100% level.

    I want my storage milk to be like my dehydrated food. I can buy it and forget about it. I do not want to have a 7 month shelf life, it is not worth the cost to me. That is why I tried dehydrating milk, horrible mess, lots of time and not that great.
     
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  15. DKR

    DKR Raconteur of the first stripe

    Ya, this is but a single dairy in this part of the state.
    From 2003 - The last creamery to go under was the Matanuska Creamery, which shuttered its doors at the end of last year. That left the Havemeisters as the last operating dairy farm in Southcentral Alaska. They had nowhere to send their milk, which must be processed by a USDA certified facility to be sold.
     
  16. T. Riley

    T. Riley Monkey+++

    You can also can milk in a pressure canner. I have canned butter. May try milk.
     
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  17. Cruisin Sloth

    Cruisin Sloth Special & Slow

    UHT milk? or Powered Milk in Flakes is what we have !!! LOT'S since im a cow sucker , woman get upset now-a-dayz ;)
     
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  18. Bandit99

    Bandit99 Monkey+++ Site Supporter+

    @Motomom34 "I do not want to have a 7 month shelf life, it is not worth the cost to me."
    I am not tracking. You're family uses milk so why is it not worth it? Because it costs more? I am not sure that is the case here in the states - maybe. The beauty I see with UHT long life milk is that should an emergency hit it's in the pantry, with a much longer storage time than fresh milk so I might not have to worry about it, otherwise it is dried milk and UHT is much better taste than dried milk. Maybe you want something longer life (10 years) so dried milk? I haven't had dried milk since I was a kid but maybe it is better; I've 2 #10 cans of it...maybe should try it. Anyway, maybe you know something I don't?
     
  19. Motomom34

    Motomom34 Monkey+++

    They like the stuff that I get at the grocery. Only one in the family really drinks milk. The rest of us uses it on cereal. A gallon can last a few weeks. I have bought coconut, almond all sorts of milk. Nido was not well received.

    I think having a milking goat would be better or grow lots of broccoli because that has calcium.
     
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  20. Cruisin Sloth

    Cruisin Sloth Special & Slow

    3 Gallons /12 L per week here & im pacing myself . It was worse till I started to limit myself, and at 10.00 per jug /4L -Gallon it gets expensive .
     
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