A process is proposed for production of low microbial count whole milk products, in which (a1) optionally, the milk product that is to be reduced in microbial count is subjected to a first heat pretreatment in a heat exchanger, and heated to temperatures in the range from 25 to 30° C., (a2) the optionally pretreated milk product is heated to temperatures of 50 to 75° C. by direct injection of superheated steam (&ldquo；direct steam injection&rdquo；, DSI) and pasteurized in the course of this, and (a3) the pasteurized product is cooled by flash cooling. A similar process for production of low microbial count skimmed milk products is likewise disclosed, which, as the most important intermediate step, additionally comprises separating off the cream.
