Pasteurisation rival given green light for Indian milk

31-Jul-2013 - Last updated on 01-Aug-2013 at 15:11 GMT

India’s food standards regulator has approved the use of SurePure’s proprietary liquid photopurification technology as an alternative process to thermal pasteurisation for milk and other dairy products.

According to SurePure, Photopurification is a green alternative to pasteurisation and chemicals, and the company uses a “Turbulator” to introduce UV-C light to purify milk products, as well as other sensitive liquids, like wine and fruit juice.

Market entry

The approval by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India paves the way for the commercialisation of SurePure's technology throughout India's fluid milk market. According to the company’s Steve Miller said, the FSSAI decision was a result of the “pioneering” work Indian authorities have performed in dairy processing.

“[They have been] showing the rest of the world's dairy authorities that new, safe, energy-efficient technological solutions to old dairy problems do exist and should be embraced,” said Miller.

“We believe that the SurePure technology is ideal for the Indian dairy operating environment, enabling small- and large-scale producers to save money and improve the quality of the final product.”

He added that he expected the company’s Indian model to be adopted in other developing markets as its low-cost solution is “ideal for the challenges of third-world processing."

Although designed to deliver food-grade solutions, SurePure’s product can also be harnessed to improve processing liquids like water, brines and sugar syrup solutions, the company says. “It offers greater microbiological efficacy than conventional UV systems and is effective for both clear and turbid liquids, a world first.”

Joint-venture

The company will operate within a market worth in excess of 120m tonnes per year, and growing at a rate of 4%, through a multi-unit, multi-year royalty and distribution agreement with Moksha Yug Access, a specialised rural supply chain solutions company in Karnataka.

"We believe that this royalty agreement with SurePure will enable us to access a robust technology, which retains the integrity of milk while delivering it in its most nutritious form to consumers," stated Harsha Moily, chief executive of Moksha Yug Access.

"There are an estimated 70m small dairy farmers in India, many of whom cannot participate fully in the formal economy. Our company and our Milk Route milk brand open the door to a new era in Indian milk processing with the SurePure technology.”