LONDON, May 23, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- LED lighting on supermarket shelves is reducing the nutritional value of milk and shortening its shelf life, according to a new report by researchers from Newcastle University*.

The report Milk: Light exposure and depletion of key nutrients, which is a review of the available scientific literature, shows that high-intensity lighting, such as that found in supermarket dairy cabinets, reduces essential nutrients found in milk, such as Vitamin A, Vitamin B₂ (riboflavin) and Vitamin D. These nutrients are important components of a healthy diet, helping to prevent disease and support growth, but most consumers are unaware that light can significantly impact milk quality, taste and nutrition.  

After two hours of exposure to LED lighting – the type found in supermarkets – milk begins to lose vitamin A. After 16 hours, it has half the amount expected. The report also shows that riboflavin can decrease by 28% after just 20 minutes of indoor light exposure. With around half of all milk remaining on display for at least eight hours, a significant proportion of milk on retail shelves is at risk of light damage if it does not have any form of light-protected packaging.

Dr Catherine Birch, Newcastle University, School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, says, "While milk is just one component of a healthy diet, it is an important one, providing people with many essential nutrients including vitamins, protein and minerals. Many people do not realise that exposure of milk to indoor light can have a detrimental effect. The damaging effects of light can be influenced by the light intensity and time of exposure, so longer exposure to light causes milk to deteriorate faster."

The report notes there are solutions to this issue including packaging which is designed to be light-protected as technology is available to design containers that reduce or prevent light damage. Laboratory testing on milk found that while the light-protected milk retained almost all Vitamin B₂ and lost only 16% of Vitamin A while non-light-protected milk lost all Vitamin B₂ and 93% of Vitamin A.

Georgia Kollias, Vice President, Global Brand Development, at Noluma, says, "Our surveys indicate that UK consumers are increasingly concerned about the light damage issue in brands they love and trust, especially when nutritional content is affected, as is the case when dairy products are sold in inadequate packaging. Many consumers would choose light-protected milk for their families if they had that option so we're encouraging retailers and manufacturers to give them that choice."

The report comes ahead of a Dairy in the Dark interactive grocery store pop-up in London, to be held 27-30 May at 230 Portobello Road, London. The event will bring to life an extreme example of how milk's nutrients and taste can be preserved without light protected packaging.

Noluma, which measures, assesses and certifies companies to help them deliver the highest level of light-protection, has also launched a website for consumers – www.lightdamageisreal.com – to educate the public about the issue of indoor light damage. 

About Noluma International LLC

Noluma International LLC, is a global company with representatives throughout the world. Noluma laboratories are located in the USA, Taiwan and in the EU.

Noluma offers light protection measurement, design and certification of packaging for consumer-packaged goods. The Noluma™ logo certifies that packaging meets the gold standard for light protection, ensuring that what's inside has the quality, freshness, nutritional elements, efficacy and sensory qualities promised.

Note to Editors:

Milk: Light exposure and depletion of key nutrients. This report is founded on extensive scientific literature reviews using Web of Science, PubMed, Google Scholar and Scopus, in addition to further research of grey literature sources. Published literature was reviewed with an emphasis on recent publications from 2015-2019 and was chosen specifically to review new developments in packaging technology.

* This research is funded by Noluma International, LLC.

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SOURCE Noluma International LLC