expiry dates difference between milk cartons (several weeks) and tiny sealed milk “cups” for coffees (several months)

Question

The same 2% milk has much longer shelf life in the tiny milk cups, why is that?

In: 1

Answer 1

The tiny milk cups are Ultra High Temperature pasteurized. Normal milk is pasteurized, meaning it is heated to a certain temperature which kills most bacteria, giving it a shelf life of several weeks. In the UHT process the milk is heated to a higher temperature which kills the rest of the bacteria, giving the milk a much longer shelf life, and without refrigeration.