Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Susan Duncan, Dairy and Sensory Evaluation

Bill Eigel,                Food Biochemistry

Joe Marcy:               Food Processing

Merle Pierson: Food Microbiology

 Sean O’Keefe: Food Chemistry

Susan Sumner:   Food Safety

Walter Hartman:    Dairy Plant Manager whartman@vt.edu

Kim Waterman:  Dairy Chemistry    Kwater@vt.edu

updates at virginia tech

Capitol Hill Ice Cream Party

The 22nd Annual Capitol Hill Ice Cream Party was held on June 24 th in Washington , D.C. The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) hosts the event each year to celebrate National Dairy Month and to showcase their activities. The party also serves to bring attention to current issues concerning the dairy industry. This year, 15 faculty, staff and students made the trip to serve ice cream and root beer floats to more than ten thousand people, including many senators and Congressional members.

HOT TOPICS AND DAIRY ISSUES

Perchlorate in Milk

According to a report released in June by the Environmental Working Group, children in Southern California are being exposed to amounts of perchlorate that exceed the federal health recommendation; and they're doing this by drinking milk. Half of children between 1 and 5 years of age and a third of children between the ages of 6 and 11 who drink one to two cups of milk each day exceed the EPA's maximum intake of 1 part per billion of perchlorate.

Perchlorate is the explosive component of rocket fuel. Over the years, it has leaked from aerospace companies and military bases into water supplies in 29 states. Animal tests indicate that small amounts can affect thyroid hormones that regulate brain development.

The lower Colorado River supplies a majority of Southern California's drinking water and irrigates over a million acres of farmland in California and Arizona . In addition to cattle drinking water, irrigation water used for alfalfa production is the most likely source of perchlorate contamination in milk.

The Environmental Working Group tested 33 samples of well-known milk brands that were purchased in Los Angeles and Orange Counties . Chemical perchlorate was found in all but one, with levels averaging 1.3 parts per billion (ppb). The highest perchlorate concentrations were found in whole and 2% milk purchased at an L.A. store.

In April, raw milk tested from farm silos around the state was found to contain almost 5 times more perchlorate than milk sold in L.A. and Orange County stores. The State Department of Food and Agriculture found perchlorate in every milk sample (n=32) tested, with levels averaging 6 ppb.

There are currently no federal or state standards for perchlorate in milk or other food. The Bush administration postponed setting a federal limit for perchlorate after defense contractors and the Pentagon lobbied for a delay to await results of a National Academy of Sciences review, due this fall. Cleaning up the contaminant could cost billions of dollars.

The California dairy industry argues that there is not enough knowledge of perchlorate to determine how much is safe in the water and food supply, and the industry needs to see more research that quantifies levels that would threaten public health. - California is the nation's leading dairy producer, with nearly $5 billion in annual sales and 1.7 million milk cows.

Moose Cheese?

Stockholm , Sweden – It's healthy and tasty, for those with expensive tastes! Farmers in northern Sweden are milking moose and making cheese, which they then sell for nearly $500 a pound. The demand is high from buyers such as upscale hotels and restaurants.

Christer Johansson and his wife, Ulla, started their 59 – acre dairy farm seven years ago in Bjursholm, 404 miles north of Stockholm . It's called “Moose House” and has the status of being the only moose dairy farm in Europe . As a result, about 25,000 people visit each year.

The Johanssons currently have 14 moose in the fields but only three can be milked.

The moose only produce milk between May and September. It takes up to two hours to milk a moose and they produce up to a gallon of milk a day. The farm produces around 660 pounds of cheese each year.

U.S. Producers Hit by Increased Milk Price

Dairy Reporter.com – According to industry observers, milk prices in April 2003 were lower than they've been in 25 years ($2.85/ gallon). This year, milk prices are at an all time high, with retailers paying up to $3.00/gallon.

Several trends and developments have spurred the price increase. In addition to the 25-year low in milk prices last year, the increased popularity of low-carb diets resulted in a high demand for beef. This trend influenced many farmers to increase the number of cattle they slaughtered for meat, which meant that the number available for milk production decreased. This development, coupled with the discovery of BSE in Canada meant that there were 153,000 fewer dairy cows in the U.S. Canada previously supplied around 50,000 dairy cattle for the U.S. but the discovery of BSE meant no cattle crossed the border into the U.S. Analysts claim that the increase in costs of animal feed also added to the decrease in production.

Starbucks, the leading coffee retail outlet, said that it may have to pay an additional $10 to $15 million for milk for the rest of 2004. Dairy costs had a negative impact of 10% on its first quarter results.

Ice cream makers in particular are suffering at the hands of the price increase. Carvel Ice Cream, the group famous for its soft-serve ice cream and premium ice cream cakes has recommended a 1% hike for its 450 franchise holders. The price of a scoop of ice cream will increase from $1.80 to $1.96.

Some companies are going as far as promoting lower cost products in order to save costs. It is reported that some producers are talking with suppliers to set up a hedging system to ensure that they will be able to pay January prices for milk.

Future Bright for Recombined Milk Products

The 4 th International Symposium on Recombined Milk and Milk products was held this March in Mexico . The growing popularity of the recombined dairy market was reflected with more than 335 people attending from over 30 countries.

The Australian Co-op, Murray Goulburn, said that recombined milk products have helped stimulate domestic production of fresh milk rather than stifle the fresh dairy industry.

The conference also focused on the evolution of high-value dairy proteins for formulating recombined dairy products, nutritional foods, fermented products and infant formulas. Many of the conference sessions concerned the use of whey, whey protein concentrate and whey protein isolate in recombined products.