evaporated milk

Evaporated milk, also known as dehydrated milk, is a shelf-stable canned milk product with about 60% of the water removed from fresh milk. It differs from sweetened condensed milk, which contains added sugar. Sweetened condensed milk requires less processing since the added sugar inhibits bacterial growth.

The actual liquid portion of the product takes up half the space of fresh milk. When the non-liquid product is mixed with a proportionate amount of water, evaporated milk becomes the equivalent of fresh milk. This makes evaporated milk attractive for shipping purposes and can have a shelf life of months or even years, depending upon the brand. This made evaporated milk very popular before refrigeration as a safe and reliable substitute for perishable fresh milk, that could be shipped easily to locations lacking the means of safe milk production or storage. Households in the western world use it most often today for desserts and baking due to its unique flavor. It is also used as a substitute for pouring cream, as an accompaniment to desserts, or (undiluted) as a rich substitute for milk.

History

Condensed milk was introduced to the U.S. by Gail Borden which he made using a process under the patent issued on August 19, 1856. It became popular for those people who were remote from farm sources, since it was capable of long term storage.

The invention of evaporated milk followed three decades later when John B. Meyenberg emigrated to the U.S. from Switzerland where he had devised the process, but had no support to begin production. He obtained two U.S. patents for his process and sterilizing apparatus, issued on November 25, 1884. He formed the Helvetia Milk Condensing Company on February 14, 1885, with a number of farmers and businessmen of Highland, Illinois, as stockholders. By June 14, 1885, the first canned "Highland Evaporated Cream" was ready to be marketed.

There were problems with the new product, with premature spoilage in early batches. Over the next few years, Louis Latzer and Dr. Werner Schmidt solved the problems which had been found to be caused by bacteria. With the marketing efforts of John Wilde, the company became successful as Pet, Inc., and is now part of The J.M. Smucker Co.

John P. Meyenberg, son of John B. Meyenberg, was the first American to evaporate goat’s milk. He started the Meyenberg business in 1934, supplying goat milk products that are more digestible than cow's milk, and an alternative for people (like himself) who were allergic to cow’s milk.

Definition

Evaporated milk is fresh, homogenized milk from which 60 percent of the water has been removed. After the water has been removed, the product is chilled, stabilized, packaged and sterilized. A slightly caramelized flavor results from the high heat process, and it is slightly darker in color than fresh milk. The evaporation process also concentrates the nutrients and the food energy. Thus, for the same weight, undiluted evaporated milk contains more food energy than fresh milk.

In the United States

According to the United States Code of Federal Regulations, Title 21, Chapter 1, Part 131, Sub part B, Section 130 "Evaporated milk", (April 2006) (21CFR131.130):

(a) Description. Evaporated milk is the liquid food obtained by partial removal of water only from milk. It contains not less than 6.5 percent by weight of milk fat, not less than 16.5 percent by weight of milk solids not fat, and not less than 23 percent by weight of total milk solids. Evaporated milk contains added vitamin D as prescribed by paragraph (b) of this section. It is homogenized. It is sealed in a container and so processed by heat, either before or after sealing, as to prevent spoilage. ...

Sections (b) - (f) of the above code regulate vitamin addition, optional ingredients, methods of analysis, nomenclature, and label declaration.

In Malaysia

In Malaysia, due to price controls, evaporated (and condensed) milk contains palm oil. It is one of the ingredients to make Teh Tarik in Malaysia and Singapore. Also it is added in brewed tea and coffee to make Teh See and Kopi C respectively.

Notable producers

Evaporated milk is sold by several manufacturers:

• Carnation Evaporated Milk (the brand is now owned by Nestle and licensed to Smuckers in Canada)
• PET Evaporated Milk (now owned by Smuckers)
• Magnolia evaporated milk - (now produced by Eagle Family Foods )
• Nestlé evaporated milk
• F&N Evaporated Milk

See also

• Baked milk
• Condensed milk
• Powdered milk
• Scalded milk

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Condensed milk

• Cooking with Canned Milk, including recipes and tips
• PET History - history of evaporated milk and the PET company.
• Today in Science History - Meyenberg's patent describing his evaporation process of preserving milk