Vietnam - COA defends quality of locally produced fresh milk

The Council of Agriculture (COA) defended the quality of locally produced fresh milk Sunday, saying the product is hygienic and nutritious. The Cabinet-level council was responding to a study by a National Chiao Tung University (NCTU) research team that claimed that 80 percent of locally produced fresh milk, including most popular brands, were not very nutritious because their beta-lactoglobulin contents were almost completely lost in the process of ultra-high-temperature (UTH) flash sterilization. The NCTU report further said the quality of locally produced fresh milk lagged far behind that of U.S.-originated fresh milk and even fell below that of imported powdered milk. The beta-lactoglobulin is the main component of proteins in fresh milk that can enhance immunity, lower cholesterol and help vitamin digestion. In response, Chen Hsing-hao, a COA department chief in charge of husbandry affairs, and Chen Pao-chi, chairman of National Taiwan University's livestock husbandry department, jointly held a news conference to defend the quality of locally produced fresh milk. Chen Hsing-hao said local dairy farms have consistently followed the standard sterilization procedures widely used in the international community in keeping their products free of bacteria. "Flash sterilization under a temperature of 130 degrees Celsius is not expected to seriously affect nutrients in fresh milk, " Chen Hsing-hao said. Chen Pao-chi echoed Chen Hsing-hao's statement, saying that although flash, ultra-high-temperature sterilization may slightly affect some temperature-sensitive nutrients in fresh milk, such as beta-lactoglobulin and some kinds of vitamins, most other proteins, calcium and nutrients in fresh milk remain intact. Both of them insisted that the UTH sterilization method used in Taiwan has been widely certified in the international community and adopted by many Western countries. They further stressed that locally produced fresh milk still contains beta-lactoglobulin and many other proteins, including whey protein, casin and gamma-lactalbumin. "Our fresh milk is nutritious and safe for consumers to drink, " Chen Hsing-hao stressed.