Pulse Brain · Growing Health Evidence Index
Tier 3 — Observational / field trialPeer-reviewed

Storage and light exposure in milk packaging

López-Mata, L. et al.

2020

Read source ↗ All evidence

Summary

This paper, published in the Journal of Dairy Science, investigates how light exposure and storage duration affect the nutritional integrity and sensory characteristics of milk in different packaging formats. It likely demonstrates that light-permeable packaging accelerates photodegradation of riboflavin and fat-soluble vitamins, with implications for shelf-life standards and packaging design. The findings contribute to the evidence base on post-processing nutrient loss in dairy supply chains.

UK applicability

Although the study's geographic origin is uncertain, the findings are broadly applicable to UK retail and distribution contexts, where milk is sold predominantly in translucent HDPE bottles subject to fluorescent or LED lighting in supermarket chillers. UK dairy processors and retailers may find the evidence relevant to packaging specification and cold-chain management.

Key measures

Riboflavin content (mg/L); lipid oxidation markers (e.g. thiobarbituric acid reactive substances); vitamin A and D retention (%); sensory scores; storage duration (days); light intensity (lux or W/m²)

Outcomes reported

The study likely measured changes in nutritional composition, lipid oxidation, riboflavin degradation, and sensory quality of milk under varying light exposure and storage conditions across different packaging types. Key outcomes probably include quantification of vitamin loss and off-flavour development over time.

Theme
Nutrition & health
Subject
Dairy food quality & processing
Study type
Research
Study design
Laboratory experiment
Source type
Peer-reviewed study
Status
Published
Geography
International
System type
Food supply chain
Catalogue ID
XL0351

Topic tags

Pulse AI · ask about this record

Dig deeper with Pulse AI.

Pulse AI has read the whole catalogue. Ask about this record, its theme, or how the findings apply to UK farming and policy — every answer cites the underlying studies.