Canberra milk-testing technology targets enzymes behind spoilage and could cut global dairy waste
PPB Technology’s Cybertongue platform can measure protease activity in raw milk in about three minutes, helping processors redirect vulnerable batches into more suitable products and reduce losses.
PPB Technology, a Canberra-based company, has developed a dairy-testing platform called Cybertongue that could help reduce global milk waste on a large scale. ABC reports that the system uses biosensors to measure protease activity in raw milk, targeting an enzyme that can damage product quality and shorten shelf life. Its practical advantage is speed: processors can test milk on site in about three minutes instead of waiting two to three days for routine laboratory results.
Founder Stephen Trowell said the measurement gives processors an earlier decision point. If protease levels are high, the milk can be directed into less sensitive products such as yoghurt or cheese, or it can receive treatment matched to the risk profile rather than being lost later in the chain. Trowell said long-life UHT milk is especially sensitive to protease-related spoilage, making early detection commercially important.
The scale of the issue is substantial. The FAO estimated world milk production at 979 million tonnes in 2024, while studies cited from Dutch dairy and food research institute NIZO suggest up to one-sixth of that volume, more than 150 million tonnes, is wasted. Trowell believes the combination of rapid testing and tracing where problematic enzymes enter farms, logistics systems or factories could prevent more than 70 million tonnes of those losses each year.
The technology has particular relevance for UHT milk. Trowell said the category is worth close to $100 billion globally and accounts for at least half of all drinking milk. In many middle-income countries, UHT products are essential because consumers do not always have access to a full chilled supply chain. Extending shelf life in those markets has implications not only for processor returns, but also for food availability and nutrition security.
Cybertongue was launched into the dairy sector in 2023 and is already being used in North America, Europe, Africa, Oceania, Central Asia and India. PPB Technology now wants to expand the platform into other food-safety applications, including testing for allergens and some bacterial toxins. For dairy processors, the system points toward a shift from slow lab-based quality control to faster, on-site management of raw material quality, product routing and avoidable waste.