Low Temperature Short Time (LTST)

Thermal processing, such as pasteurization, has been the standard method to extend the shelf-life of dairy products, as well as a means to reduce microbial load and the risk of food-borne pathogens. Pasteurization is a process in which the products are treated with mild heat. The process safeguards foods by destroying or inactivating organisms that contribute to spoilage, including vegetative bacteria but not bacterial spores.

The LTST is a patented method depends on a mechanism in which low heat and low pressure are utilized to pasteurize a fluid milk product. The method implies spraying droplets in a chamber heated below the usual pasteurization temperatures.

Study by researchers at Purdue University and University of Tennessee, the LTST method disperses pasteurized milk in the form of droplets through a heated, pressurized chamber where the temperature is rapidly increased and lowered about 10 degrees Celsius. (SpringerPlus volume 5, Article number: 660 (2016)).

Lowering the heat, as used in the LTST process, was found to increase the overall quality of the product. The process extends the shelf life of fresh milk while maintaining its flavor and nutrient value. The process reduced the microbial load in pasteurized milk and prolonged the shelf life of cold milk by up to 63 days.
Low Temperature Short Time (LTST)