SLU and Norrmejerier create unique possibilities to follow the milk from farm to cheese

New infrastructure – new possibilities

The Department of Agricultural Research for Northern Sweden (NJV) has invested in a new infrastructure at SLU’s research farm at Röbäcksdalen during 2020. It is now possible to separate the milk from parts of the herd and deliver smaller quantities for use in research and product development. This investment is the first of its kind in Sweden and increases the possibilities to research the whole food value chain from field to final product. Last week the first common test was done, starting with milking the animals in Umeå and ending with making cheese in Norrmejerier’s new pilot plant in Burträsk, within just a few hours. Thanks to a relatively small investment and a good collaboration between NJV and Norrmejerier, we now have a “state of the art” facility, with great potential for the future!

The future is now

Already this winter 2021 we will make cheese with milk from cows eating different types of silage as base. We will focus on the pathways of the good and aroma producing lactic acid bacteria from the herbage in the field to the final dairy product. The project, which is a part of SLU’s Livs ID program, i.e. the government's investment in doctoral students in the food industry, will mean a lot for both research in dairy science and for development and production of new and traditional dairy products.