Russian Scientists Develop a “Cold Drying” Method to Preserve Live Dairy Cultures
A new infrared drying technology gently dehydrates live bacteria, keeping them active for up to 18 months while cutting energy use to record lows.
A research team at South Ural State Agrarian University has completed the development of a cold infrared drying method for producing dry dairy starter cultures. The technology carefully removes moisture from live bacteria while preserving their activity and long-term viability. The project was supported by a grant from the Russian Science Foundation.
According to the university’s press service, speaking to IT Russia, the researchers proposed a new approach to the drying process. Instead of focusing on the total mass of the product, they optimized drying based on the distribution of individual biologically active components.
The result is a significant efficiency gain. Energy consumption was reduced to a record-low 1.0 kWh per kilogram of product. At the same time, the concentration of live and active bacteria in the final starter culture reaches 1.0×10⁸ CFU per cubic centimeter—considered an optimal level for such products. The starter retains its required properties and maintains quality for up to 18 months, while accuracy in controlling and predicting product parameters increased by 15 to 20 percent.
Efficiency, Automation, and AI Potential
Working with live cultures posed a major challenge, researchers said, as beneficial microorganisms must be preserved while completely eliminating pathogenic microflora.
As part of the project, the team developed parameters for an intelligent automatic control system and laid the groundwork for future agrobiosensors—analytical devices used to monitor quality in agriculture. The researchers also produced recommendations for upgrading production lines at agricultural enterprises and created a technological basis for manufacturing functional dairy products with extended shelf life.
The implementation of the technology is expected to reduce resource consumption across Russia’s dairy industry, improve profitability, and lower dependence on imported starter cultures.
Earlier reports also noted that Russia’s Yakutia region has launched a large-scale digital transformation of its dairy sector, moving toward a “smart milk” system in which processes—from raw material intake to reporting—are managed through a single digital platform.
