UNI’S MILK MIRACLE
“Using this method, the shelf life of milk can be pushed out to six weeks minimum, which could absolutely change the landscape of the bovine dairy industry.”
A REVOLUTIONARY method of milk preservation — capable of increasing its shelf life to more than six weeks and delivering higher nutritional value — is being developed at Deakin University.
The method, still in testing at the university’s Waurn Ponds campus, involves shooting argon gas through a syringe into an electrical circuit submerged in milk.
Dr Sri Balaji Ponraj and researchers Dr Jane Dai and Dr Julie Sharp see the method as a potential replacement for pasteurisation — a preser- vation method used for more than 150 years.
“We use a needle to send tiny gas bubbles through the milk, which can then be converted into plasma that provides an environmentally friendly, non-thermal approach to decontamination,” Dr Ponraj said.
“Using this method, the shelf life of milk can be pushed out to six weeks minimum, which could absolutely change the landscape of the bovine dairy industry.”
Dr Ponraj said the method stopped bacteria growing and killed it off. “Our technology is able to maintain more nutrition and at the same time kills more bacteria (in milk).”
Dr Ponraj said milk decontaminated using Deakin’s non-thermal method is yet to undergo human testing.
“That’s still a while away. We have to test (the method) in animals first.”
He said researchers at Deakin’s Institute for Frontier Materials were testing if the preservation method could be applied to human breast milk. If successful the method, which is yet to be commercially viable, could help to stockpile supply in hospital wards and maintain the nutritional value of expressed milk.
Dr Ponraj is among 850 Deakin students graduating this week.
Deakin University ViceChancellor Jane den Hollander said she was proud to see graduates such as Dr Ponraj receive their qualifications.
“The greatest innovations in history always come from people who are bold enough to explore new frontiers and think differently,” Prof den Hollander said.
“Ideas, knowledge and know-how are the critical currency for success in the 21st century, and discoveries like the one Sri Balaji Ponraj has already made show just what a difference we can make when we combine ideas, technology and drive.