Immortal Milk: From Industrious Herders to Industrial Foods

If you are a typical consumer, you probably have bought processed or pre-prepared foods and noticed in the ingredients list “milk powder,” “powdered milk,” or “dried milk.” While milk powder would appear to be a product of our modern industrial food system, its history goes much further back. In the Near East, archeologists have found petrified chunks of dried buttermilk, or “milk cakes.” They believe ancient Near Easterners made milk cakes by placing churned sour milk in a high place, possibly a rooftop (Valenze, 2011, 30). European travelers during the thirteenth century, described how the nomadic Mongols heavily relied on milk products in their diets and would boil and dry mares milk and store the resulting dried curds in bags for winter consumption. The dried curds could then be mixed in water to make a weak drink (Ibid, 39). Today, the decedents of the Mongols, herders in Mongolia, continue to make similar dried dairy products. Three types of dried cheeses, byaslag, eezgii, and aaruul, are made using yogurt rather than culture and rennet and are either eaten fresh or sliced and dried (Kaplonski, 488). By drying milk and other dairy products, these ancient cultures developed a way of effectively immortalizing milk and her products. For ancient peoples in the Near East, Mongolia, and other nomadic herding populations, being able to extend the life of milk was essential to survival and a healthy diet.

Woman Mongolian Herder. Source: Women's News Network

Although powdered milk (in one form or another) has been around for thousands of years, commercial powdered milk production did not start until the nineteenth century. Some scholars attribute the invention of dried milk to Russian chemist M. Dirchoff in 1832. However, it was not until 1855, when T. S. Grimwade patented a dried milk procedure (Dried milk production, n.d.) that powdered milk entered the English commodity market (Valenze, 187). Powdered milk quickly became a huge market commodity, used in baby food as well as chocolate and other confectionaries.  

Today powdered milk can be made in three ways. The first and most common way is by spray drying. Nonfat skim milk, whole milk, buttermilk, or whey is concentrated to about 50 percent milk solids and then sprayed into a heated chamber where the water almost instantly evaporates, leaving fine particles of powdered milk solids behind. The second method is drum drying, whereby milk is applied as a thin film to the surface of a heated drum, and the dried milk solids are then scraped off. This method creates a cooked, caramelized flavor in the final product. The final and least used method is freeze drying (Dried milk production, n.d.).

The uses for powdered milk have not changed much since the nineteenth century. It is mainly used in infant formula, confectionaries (i.e. chocolates and caramel candy), baked goods, Indian sweets, and wherever liquid milk is not an option (i.e. warehouses, fallout shelters, hiking, etc.) Powdered milk is not only valued for its long shelf life, but also it reduces transport and storage costs as it does not require refrigeration, it takes up less space, and it is lighter than liquid milk (Dried milk production, n.d.). 

However, dried milk has its critics. In addition to the nutrient loss in the drying process, one of the many uses for powdered milk has been in international food aid. After World War II, American, and later European, dairy farmers experienced a milk glut. Overproduction resulted in national governments seeking markets in other countries, specifically developing countries. Under the banner of development aid, the U.S. and other European countries dumped their powdered milk, which is much cheaper to export, onto the world market. Prices plummeted, and developing countries’ dairy sectors were unable to compete with the cheap powdered milk inundating local markets (Valenze, 271). One result of this onslaught of powdered milk was India’s Operation Flood. Initiated by the Government of India in 1970, the program was meant to increase India’s domestic production and consumption of dairy products to better compete with the world market (Ibid, 274-75). The result was the promotion of the cooperative system and a widening of the gap between the poor and middle- upper-classes.

Skimmed Milk Powder. Source: Nairaland Forum 

While powdered milk is an efficient, cost-effective way to store milk for long periods of time, cheese powder is valued for its flavor enhancing powers. Yes, the yellow powder used in your mac and cheese is actually cheese, or at least part of it. Industrial production of spray-dried cheese products started shortly after Kraft’s development of processed cheese in 1916. Processed cheese was praised for its long shelf life, cleanliness, consistency, and digestibility. Cheese powder took all those attributes a step further. Spray drying of cheese began being used extensively during World War II. The U.S. Army developed dehydrated cheese products, including cheese powders and dried grated cheese, as a means for preserving cheese under any circumstance, and on the home front products like packaged macaroni and cheese became staples (Dylan-Robbins & Buchanan, 2013).

The Use of Cheese Powder in New Products. Source: Prepared Foods

In 1951, a Dutch processed food company, Lactosan, began producing what we would recognize as modern cheese powder, and since then an array of cheese products have been developed. However, since the 1960s cheese powders have also been a means of concentrating flavor. Enzyme-modified cheese (EMC) was developed in the 1960s. The flavors are so concentrated, that EMC packs five to 20 times more of a punch than natural cheese (ibid). Throughout the 20^thcentury, powders with a mix of cheese, EMC, whey, and other dairy biproducts have become increasingly common and help drive our processed, convenience food culture. 

With all its uses in industrial, processed foods, I bet you didn’t think you could make your own powdered milk or cheese powder. Guess what, you can! You don’t need a spray dryer or a drum dryer. You just need time. There are two ways you can make your own powdered milk. The first way is by using a dehydrator. Line the trays of a dehydrator with fruit roll and pour one cup of milk in each tray. Place in the dehydrator at 130-135°F, and then wait for at least 12 hours.

The second method involves setting your oven at a very low heat (140-160°F). After cooking the milk in a double boiler until it's creamy (i.e. you have made evaporated milk), pour the milk into a large pan with sides. Set in the low heated oven with the door cracked for approximately 12 hours. You will need to check it to make sure the milk does not burn. You can find much more detailed instructions for making your own powdered milk here. Unfortunately, I am a grad student and do not have twelve hours to spare, so I was not able to try this out myself. If you do though, let me know how it goes!

Powdered milk, and its cousin cheese powder, is the result of the need to extend the shelf life and portability of a highly perishable, nutritious product. However, it has turned into an important part of our industrial food system as a way to manage surpluses and enhance flavor. Thus, despite its long history, powdered milk gets overlooked as just another product of industrialization rather than industriousness.