A new study by researchers in the United States has revealed that raw milk, hailed by some as a natural and nutritious alternative to pasteurised dairy, may come with hidden dangers.
Results of the Stanford University study which were published December 12 in ‘Environmental Science & Technology Letters’, revealed that influenza or flu virus can remain infectious in refrigerated raw milk for up to five days.
The findings come at a time when outbreaks of bird flu in dairy cattle have raised concerns about the potential for a new pandemic.
“This work highlights the potential risk of avian influenza transmission through consumption of raw milk and the importance of milk pasteurisation,” said study senior author Alexandria Boehm, the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Professor of Environmental Studies in the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability and the Stanford School of Engineering.
