The UHT milk evolution: Discovering new possibilities in a long-lasting favourite

Ultra-High Temperature (UHT) milk has been a popular choice since it was invented in the late 1950s, gaining widespread popularity for its unique qualities, long shelf life and convenience of transport and storage.​

As milk consumption continues to grow in most parts of the world, there are still substantial untapped opportunities for those keen on capitalizing on this classic product.

Consumers are constantly looking for new products, but milk as a concept is far from new. Coming up with relevant and appealing concepts are therefore crucial, ideally addressing unmet consumer needs. Tetra Pak’s approach and way of working involves sharing the latest consumer research and insights, and having cross-functional teams guide you through ideation sessions. The goal is to find product concepts that are fully aligned with your brand and chosen target audience.

Milk, although naturally nutritious, can easily be transformed to meet specific consumer desires for further functional benefits. Since the COVID-19 pandemic consumers have been looking for immunity-boosting elements, such as vitamin D or zinc. And with more focus on mental health, milk blended with chamomile for enhanced sleep finds its devoted fans.

UHT milk’s slightly sweet taste also makes it an ideal base for flavoured products, allowing for reduced sugar content – an attractive proposition amid the ongoing sugar debate. Moreover, UHT milk’s on-the-go convenience makes it perfect for protein-enriched drinks catering to health and fitness enthusiasts. Exploring new tastes, adding functionality, and even incorporating particles, opens doors to innovation.

Regardless of your goals, Tetra Pak’s food technologists are by your side, fine-tuning ingredients and formulas as well as adjusting processes, until your recipe meets your expectations. From Accelerator Lab trials to preparing industrial production scale-ups at its Product Development Centres, offers comprehensive support.

Choosing the right package for the occasion​

Tetra Pak’s diverse range of packaging solutions provides a high degree of flexibility, enabling you to craft a distinctive package that represents your brand and stands out on the shelf. Big or small, basic or premium, Tetra Pak can help to find the right price point for your consumers and the drinking occasion – whether at home or on-the-go.

Tetra Pak can not only assist you in identifying what your milk needs from a functionality and design perspective; with increasing consumer awareness around responsible choices, Tetra Pak can also help to communicate your values through front-of-pack labelling, certificates and QR codes that allow for further engagement with consumers. And since Tetra Pak’s packaging for ambient distribution is made mostly from renewable sources, it reinforces your commitment to sustainability.

Trust decades of food expertise​

Behind the covers of Tetra Pak’s steel equipment lies decades of expertise in food processing and packaging, combined with sophisticated automation. Its experience in maintaining and optimising thousands of plants all over the world, coupled with unparalleled integrated plant solutions has helped to produce long-life milk products.

Whether the goal is to update an existing line or set up a new one, Tetra Pak’s processing specialists guide you toward a flexible, cost-efficient solution. All equipment – from raw material intake via processing, packaging to palletised product – is developed to work seamlessly together.

Efficiency and flexibility with OneStep processing technology​

UHT processes are sometimes assumed to be costly and complex, but that’s not necessarily the case. The fastest and most efficient way to produce UHT milk products is with the ground-breaking OneStep technology which combines separation, standardization, blending, and heat treatment in a single step. This approach offers formulation variety and rapid product changeovers, while reducing utility consumption significantly.

You can start from raw milk or milk powder, or a combination of both. By removing the pasteurization and intermediate storage steps, the processing time is shortened from as much as two days to just a few hours. If you start from powder, OneStep combines concentrate mixing with in-line blending, so a separate pasteurizer is not needed.

And there’s no need for large storage tanks either. With fewer, smaller tanks, there’s less cleaning-in-place (CIP), less maintenance and lower product losses. As Dick Evander, Line Solutions Manager at Tetra Pak, notes: “The benefits can be significant, with costs being reduced by up to 50% in total.” 

Stay true to your focus​

Regardless of the focus of the operations, be it maximizing output or flexibly producing multiple products and sizes, Tetra Pak has an aseptic packaging solution that caters to your needs. If you choose a fully connected UHT line, equipped with modern automation solutions, flawless and repeatable results can be achieved. And Tetra Pak’s service solutions ensure continuous improvement of your operations, through expert consultancy, preventive maintenance, and spare parts handling, to name a few.

Benefit from one passionate supplier​

In addition to having a supplier that is equally as fascinated by UHT milk, the benefits of working with one end-to-end supplier can be easily explained:

• One point of contact simplifies all communication
• Our category insights ensure relevant and forward-pointing advice
• Ideate, pilot, and launch new products faster
• All equipment is built for seamless compatibility

Tetra Pak calls it all ‘The integrated edge’ and it will support you in solving your production challenges, whether the focus is on operational efficiency, product innovation or meeting your sustainability targets.