Fresno-based company gains FDA acceptance to treat milk with UV light

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Revolutionizing how to treat raw milk. It's a process that could soon be launched right here in the Valley.

"Pasteurization using heat has been around since before the civil war," said Bob Comstock, the CEO of Tamarack Biotics.

"It was originally invented in France. Now we've come up with a new technology of pasteurizing milk with ultraviolet light."

Fresno-based company Tamarack Biotics gained FDA acceptance to treat raw milk using UV light. It took 10 years for the company to get the nod from the agency.

The company says that using this method, it will kill the bad bacteria in raw milk while keeping its natural nutrients.

"We had to prove all of these pathogens were killed by our treatment," said Comstock.

So far, production is being done at South Dakota State. Tamarack Biotics says once they gain full approval, their goal is to bring the technology to California. Comstock explained how the process works.

"You take a big tank of milk from the farm and you run it through our equipment," said Comstock. "It thins it out into a very thin film and then treats it with UV light and that's all it does and it's done."

Comstock tells Action News its early products will be protein-concentrate powders. He believes this method will be a game changer for the dairy industry.

"It's safer, it's more sustainable because you use so much less energy," said Comstock, "and the third reason is that it retains all of milk's nutritional value."

Comstock says there is excitement for this method in the dairy industry.

"It's our belief that the entire dairy industry, over the next 10 to 15 years will convert to use UV to pasteurize milk instead of heat," said Comstock.

The FDA acceptance is a milestone for the company. Comstock says they're meeting with the federal agency to talk about the next steps.

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