Organic Valley

We care for the earth while bringing you the highest quality food

A great addition to smoothies for the kids and pregnant or nursing women or anyone who needs a boost of calcium!  Plus it makes them creamier!  Also great to have on hand just in case you're running low, we use it for french toast and other needs for milk in cooking or baking in particular.  We always keep one in our freezer!

OV assured me that their Nonfat Dry Milk is not processed with Nitrates and therefore has no nitrates in it, unlike other brands of dry milk.
 

How is Organic Valley Non Fat Dry Milk Powder produced?

Skim milk (9% solids) is brought into the spray-drying plant.  The milk is pasteurized (161.5°F for 16 seconds), then condensed to approximately 40% solids by pulling water out of the milk using vacuum and heat.  The condensed milk is then pushed through a very small nozzle under high pressure into a heated chamber.  This chamber has hot air (160°-200°F) blowing into it.

Powdered milk is classified into three processed categories: low, medium and high heat.  The higher the temperature, the more the proteins are denatured.  High heat powder is used mostly in baking and candies because it has a caramelized, sweet flavor.  The low heat powder is a little more difficult and time-consuming to produce, but reconstitutes easier and maintains the structure of the proteins.

Instantized powder is made by taking the spray-dried powder and putting it through steam.  The powder then lumps, and is taken through a series of mechanical sifters to achieve a small lump as is normally seen in “Carnation Instant Dry Milk”.  This instantized milk is already partially reconstituted since it has a higher moisture content than non-instant powder.  The steam used in the instantizing process passes through a boiler, which is often, is cleaned with chemical de-scalers to prevent build-up of minerals.  There is some proof that these de-scalers pass into the culinary steam.  The possibility of chemical contaminants from the steam is enough of a concern that Organic Valley does not want to take any chances with the process.  The dairy industry as a whole is in the midst of studying the purity of culinary steam, and we are watching the progress.

Organic Valley Non-Fat Non-Instant Dry Milk is a very low heat powder.  We make it that way so that it will reconstitute as readily as possible without instantizing, and still have the highest nutritional profile after the drying process.  We think you will find our powder delicious and fairly easy to reconstitute following the directions.  We do not fortify our powdered milk with Vitamins A or D above what may naturally occur.  There is less than .05% fat in Organic Valley Non-Fat Dry Milk, and it may be used in either the powder or liquefied form wherever you would use milk.