Production (P1) of low-bacteria whole milk powders involves: removing solids from raw milk using known method, and separating cream, followed by subjecting the skim milk to microfiltration, to obtain permeate； pasteurizing the permeate, followed by concentrating, and discarding the retentate； subjecting the cream to ultra-high heat treatment and added to the permeate again before heat treatment； subjecting the concentrate to thermal treatment； and processing the thermally treated product to obtain a dry powder. A process (P1) of the production of low-bacteria whole milk powders having a whey protein nitrogen index (WPNI) of at least 2, involves: (a) removing solids from raw milk using known method, and separating cream； (b) subjecting the skim milk obtained in step (a) to microfiltration, to obtain permeate； (c) pasteurizing the permeate； (d) concentrating the pasteurized permeate to a dry mass of 30-50 wt.%, and discarding the retentate； (e) subjecting the cream separated in step (a) to ultra-high heat treatment and added to the permeate again before heat treatment； (f) subjecting the concentrate to thermal treatment for a period of at least 15 seconds at a temperature of at least 72[deg] C, and (g) processing the thermally treated product to obtain a dry powder. An independent claim is included for a low-bacteria low-heat whole milk powder, obtainable by the process (P1).
