Shoppers often notice the difference and are put off from buying dairy products when they perceive the freshness and integrity to be compromised.

The type of packaging used in dairy products will determine how much exposure to light occurs and its impact on the nutritional integrity and food safety of the product. Clear, opaque packaging is the least desirable, solid milk cartons that deflect light are the most ideal.

Promolux fluorescent lights and LEDs will reduce the amount of heat and damaging uv that enters the display cases while illuminating the myriad of colors of all the packaging for attracting shoppers’ attention.

Dairy Case Lighting – Milking the Profits

It’s not just light that affects the dairy products on display, the infra-red radiation (ambient heat from both internal & external sources) that penetrates the case also creates a food safety risk and adds to the amount of daily spoiled product that must be pulled from the shelves.

All types of dairy products including yogurts, packaged cheeses, sour creams, cottage cheeses, butter, tofu and whip creams are adversely affected by ambient heat and light.

And once an items temperature rises, even a few degrees, the nutritional integrity and food safety is jeopardized.

At the end of the day, the variation in product temperatures can mean hundreds of dollars of product that must be thrown out, representing lost revenue for the store owner.

For added food safety we recommend that grocery retailers install Promolux low radiation lights and LEDs in all their open refrigerated display cases.

Promolux Cuts Shrinkage By Up To 50%

Promolux fluorescent lamps and LEDs minimize the emission of damaging visible spectrum and UV wavelengths. Reduce shrinkage by 30 to 50 percent compared to the level of shrinkage caused by standard dairy display case lights just by using Promolux lights in your commercial display cases.

These savings will vary depending upon the duration of light exposure, as well as the type of packaging, the fat content and how the dairy product has been processed. For many retailers the savings more than justifies the installation of Promolux lamps in all of their fresh food and dairy display cases.

Don’t accept daily shrink and discard as an acceptable “cost of doing business”, start recouping lost revenue, grow sales and max an impact with your merchandising program today!

Refrigerated Milk Displays in Supermarket Dairy Cabinets

Refrigerated milk in supermarket cabinets can develop off-flavors and lose nutrients after four minutes of exposure to direct sunlight, and after four hours of exposure to fluorescent display case lighting.

Milk in glass or plastic containers are most vulnerable, but off-flavors will also develop when milk is packaged in paper cartons.

Promolux Safe Spectrum fluorescent lamps add LEDs emit lower levels of UV and visible spectrum radiation, thus reducing the rate of damaging chemical reactions in milk and dairy products.

Lipid Oxidation of Milk in Grocery Store Milk Displays



When milk is exposed to sunlight or to the fluorescent lighting commonly found in refrigerated dairy display cases, the light initiates two chemical reactions which result in off-flavors and the loss of nutrients.

First, whey proteins, composed of amino acids containing sulfur, degrade and break down, producing “sunlight” flavors reminiscent of burnt feathers or burnt hair that can last for two to three days.

In the second reaction, the unsaturated fatty acids in milk lipids (milkfat triglycerides / triacylglycerols) become oxidized, producing malodorous carbonyl compounds that taste metallic or cardboardy and do not dissipate.

Various studies have found that these chemical reactions can occur in milk after four minutes of exposure to direct sunlight, and after four hours of exposure to fluorescent lighting, while the off-flavors were detected by trained tasters after milk was exposed to light for 15 to 30 minutes, and by consumers after milk was exposed to light for one to two hours.

In a Pennsylvania study, light-related off-flavors developed within 36 hours in almost half of 449 samples of milk in translucent plastic jugs. Another study found that off-flavors were present in approximately 80% of the blow-mold plastic milk containers exposed to fluorescent lighting in supermarket dairy display cases.

Milk Nutrient Loss in Retail Milk Showcases

The following nutrients are lost from milk during lipid oxidation: Vitamin A (especially added Vitamin A), Vitamin D (especially added Vitamin D), riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Pyridoxine, Vitamin B12, and Vitamin C (ascorbic acid, present in small quantities in milk). Riboflavin is destroyed by ultraviolet light.

One study found that 90% of the added Vitamin A and 8% of the riboflavin was lost from milk in polyethylene containers after 24 hours of exposure to fluorescent lights, with increased loss of these nutrients as the fat content of the milk decreased.

Flavor Changes of Milk in Commercial Milk Merchandisers

When milk is exposed to light, two chemical reactions occur that cause the milk to taste like burnt feathers, burnt hair, cardboard, or metal.

Factors that affect the rate of flavor change and nutrient loss in milk caused by exposure to display case lighting are the intensity of the light, the wavelengths present in the light, the distance between the fluorescent light bulb and the milk, the material of the container, the amount of surface area exposed to the light, the temperature of the milk, and the duration of light exposure. The higher the fat content, the more vulnerable the milk or cream is to the off-flavor effects of lipid oxidation.

Milk in light-transmissible containers such as transparent glass or plastic is most commonly affected but milk in paper cartons can also be affected when the cartons are exposed to intense light for long periods of time.

Promolux Lamps – Merchandise Milk Products For Freshness and Nutrition

Promolux balanced spectrum low radiation lamps and LEDs are ideal for milk and dairy product displays. Compared to other fluorescent lighting, Promolux lamps prevent 86% of UV B radiation and 52% of UV A radiation from penetrating a products packaging ensuring it lasts longer as well as the nutrients inside.

With Promolux lamps and LEDs installed in your dairy cases, you can be confident knowing that as shoppers pass by the vivid colors of the packaging will stand out and draw their attention to the case which holds a variety of nutritional and flavorful dairy beverages and products for the whole family.

Fit your dairy showcases with Promolux and see what the fuss is all about! Request a quote online right now and we’ll email you a custom quote just for your business.

Refrigerated Cheese Displays in Grocery and Cheese Store Showcases

Cheese is light sensitive but is often packaged in clear wrapping, which leaves the cheese vulnerable to color fading and discoloration. When exposed to UV radiation, unpackaged feta will develop an off-flavor and may turn yellow.

Promolux fluorescent lamps and LED lighting minimize the emission of damaging visible spectrum and UV wavelengths and thus reduce shrinkage.

Photodegradation of Mold Retardant in Retail Cheese Displays

Natamycin is an antimicrobial mold inhibitor added to the surfaces of retail cheeses to prolong the shelf life of cheeses, especially those with large surface areas that are most vulnerable to mold growth such as sliced or shredded cheese.
However, Natamycin quickly degrades when exposed to the ultraviolet radiation emitted by the supermarket fluorescent lighting commonly used in retail dairy display cases.

Promolux full balanced spectrum lamps and LEDs emit much lower levels of UV and harmful visible spectrum radiation than other display case fluorescent bulbs, preserving the effectiveness of Natamycin and thus preventing the growth of mold on grated and sliced cheeses treated with Natamycin.

“I’ve been working with the Promolux lights, and while this is still very preliminary work, it seems that your lights are doing a fine job of protecting the Natamycin. The first run I preformed was with regular fluorescent lights with about 1000 lux and the Natamycin had degraded to almost undetectable amounts within 24 hours. The same experiment was run, but this time using the Promolux lights, and resulted, even after 24 hours, fully intact Natamycin, which is great!”

Vanessa Elizabeth Teter, Masters Candidate, Food Science Virginia Tech

Discoloration of Supermarket Cheese Displays

UV and visible spectrum radiation from supermarket fluorescent display case lighting triggers photochemical reactions that cause the bright colors of food dyes used in some cheeses to fade. While many dairy products are now sold in opaque packaging, this is not as effective as transparent containers for marketing purposes.

Cheese is light sensitive but is often packaged in clear wrapping, which leaves the cheese vulnerable to color fading and discoloration. This is most noticeable when yellow and orange cheeses are removed from their packages. The surfaces that were exposed to light have become faded, while the sides and bottoms that were against other cheese blocks and the portions that were protected by labels retain the original darker color.

Feta cheese is sometimes displayed in open containers in self-service cheese cases. When exposed to UV radiation in this way, feta will develop an off-flavor and may turn yellow.

If discoloration and color fading are combined with the effect most supermarket fluorescent lights have of emphasizing yellow and green and thus distorting the true colors of cheese displays, retail cheese displays can look quite bland with products that shy away from shoppers eyes.

Promolux balanced color spectrum lamps, on the other hand, reveal the vibrant colors of cheese displays while emitting lower levels of the harmful radiation that causes colors to fade.

Cheese Spoilage in Grocery Store and Cheese Shop Cabinets

When cheese is exposed to sunlight or to the fluorescent lighting commonly found in dairy display cases, the light initiates two chemical reactions which result in off-flavors and the loss of nutrients. Whey proteins, composed of amino acids containing sulfur, degrade and break down, producing “sunlight” flavors reminiscent of burnt feathers or burnt hair that can last for two to three days. In the second reaction, unsaturated fatty acids in milk lipids (milkfat triglycerides / triacylglycerols) become oxidized, producing malodorous carbonyl compounds that taste metallic or cardboardy and do not dissipate.

In as little as two hours of exposure to UV and damaging visible spectrum radiation, the fat in cheese can become rancid. While many dairy products are now sold in opaque packaging, this is not as effective as transparent containers for marketing purposes.

Unwrapped cheese displayed in self-service cheese cases, such as feta, are extremely sensitive to lipid oxidation. When exposed in this way, feta will develop an off-flavor and may turn yellow.

Factors that affect the rate of flavor change and nutrient loss are the intensity of the light, the wavelengths present in the light, the distance between the fluorescent light bulb and the cheese, the material of the container, the amount of surface area exposed to the light, the temperature of the cheese, and the duration of light exposure.

We recently purchased L70T8 Promolux bulbs for our dairy display case and are pleased with their performance. We are very concerned about the high levels of UV radiation emitted by fluorescent bulbs. Additionally this type of radiation causes vitamin degradation, off flavor development, and the “pinking affect” in cheddar cheese. These problems have been eliminated when we installed your Promolux merchandising lights in our dairy case.

The light emitted from your Promolux bulbs is very appealing and makes our dairy product display case very attractive for our customers. We continue to receive positive customer feedback from our customers. I recommend Promolux bulbs to food companies that provide dairy products in their display cases.

Thomas Palchak, Penn State Berkey Creamery

Promolux True Color Definition Lamps

Promolux food display lighting not only minimizes the damaging effects of visible spectrum and UV wavelengths, it also reduces shrinkage from fading and discoloration and loss of moisture in cheese displays when compared to the shrinkage levels of the display merchandised under “regular” fluorescents.

Keep your specialty cheese displays looking their best and most appealing without affecting the taste and flavor of each unique item by switching your display case lights to Promolux.

Contact us right now by email to learn more about how Promolux lights can really help your business to stand out and increase sales!