Milk processing plants are becoming
fewer in number and larger in size. As a
result, the distance the raw milk is transported
from the point of production to the
processing site increases. Because the major
component in raw milk is water, the reduction
of water at the production site would
result in lower transportation costs as well as
lower energy needs. Water can be removed
from milk through a membrane filtration.
This study showed that concentration of raw
milk allowed for the microbes to partition
into the milk solids fraction. Microbial numbers
increased during refrigerated storage of
this concentrated raw milk.