A Fresno scientist’s novel method for treating raw milk — the first fundamentally different process since pasteurization was developed in 1864 — was recently accepted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The method, which uses ultraviolet light, preserves the bioactive benefits of raw milk without the pathogenic risks, said Bob Comstock, CEO of Tamarack Biotics.

The heat process in pasteurization breaks down lactoferrin, immunoglobulins, and osteopontin that can be beneficial for bone and joint health, while the ultraviolet method doesn’t.

The FDA review process took about 12 years, Comstock said. He had to prove that their method was at least as effective at killing pathogens as heat treatment. The UV method also uses far less energy than pasteurization, which heats milk up to 160 degrees and then cools it back down.

“Pasteurization has been used since before the Civil War to make milk safe from bacterial or viral contamination. No advancement has happened in the last 150 years and we’re the first company in the world to gain regulatory approval for an alternative to heat,” Comstock said.

Comstock’s First Product Will Be Sports Nutrition

The FDA acceptance means Tamarack Biotics can begin selling its protein powders, which Comstock says will show up on store shelves at the beginning of 2026. The name for the product is TruActive.

The recent FDA move is the first step in getting the process approved for liquid milk, which can get its earliest review in 2027.

The athletes who use protein powder are often early adopters of new nutritional products, Comstock said.

“We’ve even had data from marathon athletes that have found if they consume our product, they no longer are sore after a long run the next day,” Comstock said. “The ability of these components and to have higher amino acid uptake from the protein powder to better athletic performance and recovery.”

UV Treatment Preserves Raw Milk Benefits Without the Pathogens

Comstock sees the method as a potential revival for the dairy industry, with California Dairies Inc. partnering with Tamarack Biotics on the product.

“We think the entire dairy industry over the next decade is going to all convert to this same technology because it just makes so much sense,” Comstock said.

Despite its dangers, people still turn to raw milk for its benefits, Comstock said. He said his method keeps those benefits while eliminating dangerous pathogens.

Mother’s milk — whether from a cow or a human — contains the proteins and enzymes needed to help build immunity in a sterile infant. Clinical trials in Europe show that children who consume raw milk at a young age may develop protections against asthma, eczema, atopic dermatitis and food allergies.

Still, his product may be a long way off from infant formula.

Getting FDA acceptance for infant formula, and then convincing companies to adopt a new method, requires extensive research and industry buy-in, he said. Even so, those immunity benefits may extend later in life.

As people age, the immune system deteriorates. A 2018 UC Davis study found that dairy protein treated by UV substantially increased the immune response in seniors.

“It’s quite amazing that this technology has been developed entirely in Fresno, no one else in the entire world has gained regulatory approval for an alternative to heat, we’re expecting this to go global rather quickly,” Comstock said.