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Researchers at the University of Newbridge announced a breakthrough that could change how milk is preserved. The team has created an electrical method to concentrate milk into a powder without using heat. The new process, tested in the university’s food science lab, uses controlled electric fields to remove water from milk while keeping the product cold. The announcement was made on Friday during a press briefing at the university’s campus.

Traditional milk drying relies on high‑temperature evaporation. Milk is heated to 150–200 °C, then evaporated and spray‑dried into powder. The heat destroys many of the milk’s natural enzymes, proteins and vitamins. The process also consumes a lot of energy, costing the industry millions of dollars each year. The high temperatures can change the taste and nutritional value of the finished product, which is a concern for health‑conscious consumers. The new electrical technique bypasses these problems by keeping the milk at room temperature during dehydration.

In the new method, milk is passed through a chamber where a low‑frequency electric field draws water molecules out of the liquid. The field creates a pressure gradient that forces water to leave the milk while the solids remain. Because no heat is applied, the whey proteins, lactase enzymes and fat globules stay intact. Early lab trials show a 25 % reduction in energy use compared with conventional spray‑drying. The resulting powder has a similar shelf life to standard milk powder, but with higher levels of B‑vitamins and a more natural flavor profile. The researchers say the process can be scaled up to industrial levels, and the equipment needed is similar to existing electric‑field machines used in food processing.

If the technique proves cost‑effective at scale, it could reshape the dairy supply chain. Lower energy consumption would cut production costs and reduce the carbon footprint of milk powder manufacturing. The dairy industry, which processes billions of liters of milk each year, could benefit from a method that preserves nutrients and tastes better while saving money. The University of Newbridge plans to partner with a commercial dairy company next year to pilot the technology on a larger scale. The outcome of that partnership will determine whether the electric‑field approach can replace the heat‑based drying that has dominated the industry for decades.