Search Results for: microbial contamination of raw milk

Sampling Strategies for Contamination Control
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Targeted Sampling Strategies for Contamination Control and Quality Assurance

In food, beverage, and dairy production, implementing effective sampling strategies for contamination control is crucial for maintaining product safety, ensuring compliance, and enhancing process efficiency. By tailoring sampling plans to address specific challenges, producers can detect contamination risks early and make proactive decisions to protect product quality. From biofilm detection to monitoring critical control points…

Raw milk testing blog image
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Raw Milk Testing for the 21st Century: Key Parameters for Achieving High Quality 

The quality of processed dairy products is inextricably tied to the quality of raw milk at production, and throughout pre-processing storage and handling. Pasteurization, while quite literally a lifesaver, is no magic bullet when it comes to improving quality. As domestic and international markets for US dairy products evolve, expectations of increasing shelf life are…

Crucial Role of Raw Milk Microbial Testing
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The Crucial Role of Raw Milk Microbial Testing in Producing High-Quality Dairy Products

The dairy industry globally strives to meet high-quality standards for processed products. One key to achieving this is raw milk microbial testing, a meticulous monitoring process that examines raw milk’s microbiological parameters. In this blog, we review the significance of these parameters, including somatic cell counts (SCC) and bacterial counts, and their direct impact on…

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NF – QualiTru TruDraw Sterile Single Sampler Information

If you cannot measure contamination accurately, you cannot control it! Achieving accuracy in sampling and testing is crucial for controlling contamination; aseptic inline sampling is critical in ensuring this accuracy. Based on the latest Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommendations, using the right combination of environmental and process monitoring is essential to help ensure farmers…

Micro Testing for Post-pasteurization Contamination
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Micro Testing for Post-pasteurization Contamination (Part 3)

The first article in this series, Raw Milk Dairy Micro Testing, focused on Gram-negative bacteria in raw milk with the Preliminary Incubation (PI) Count and Fresh Standard Plate Count (SPC) tests. The second article, The Effects of Gram-positive HRSF Bacteria on Fluid Milk Shelf Life, discussed another classification of bacteria that was not known as…

The Effects of Gram-positive HRSF Bacteria on Fluid Milk Shelf Life
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The Effects of Gram-positive HRSF Bacteria on Fluid Milk Shelf Life (Part 2)

The first article in this series, Raw Milk Micro Testing, focused on Gram-negative bacteria in raw milk with the Preliminary Incubation (PI) Count and Fresh Standard Plate Count (SPC) tests. In this second installment, I would like to discuss another classification of bacteria (Gram-positive HRSF Bacteria) that was not known as a major issue in fluid…

cold-tolerent spore-forming bacteria
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Prevalence of Cold-tolerant Spore-forming Bacteria in the Milk Supply 

The shelf life of pasteurized fluid milk is challenged by bacterial contamination that enters the finished milk supply through two portals: a) contamination by Gram-negative psychrotrophic bacteria during processing after pasteurization; and b) contamination by Gram-positive spore-forming bacteria that enter primarily through the raw milk supply. In today’s processing environment, where post-pasteurization contamination is largely…

Preliminary Incubation Count for Measuring Raw Milk Quality
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Using Preliminary Incubation Count for Measuring Raw Milk Quality

The Preliminary Incubation (PI) Count for measuring the quality of raw milk has become increasingly popular since the production of quality milk is the number one goal of dairy farmers and cooperatives. The PI test is especially sensitive to psychrotrophic bacteria. These particular bacteria can grow at colder temperatures, which is why dairy processors are encouraging…

BTSCCs Milk Quality & Udder Health
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Using Bulk-Tank Somatic Cell Counts for Monitoring Milk Quality and Udder Health

Bulk-tank somatic cell counts (BTSCCs) are measured and monitored from Federal Milk Marketing Orders (FMMOs) to determine the quality of the milk supply in the U.S. BTSCCs are defined as the number of white blood cells, secretory cells, and squamous cells per milliliter of raw milk. Milk processors monitor BTSCCs in the nation’s milk shipments…

Psychrotrophic bacteria in pasteurized milk
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Psychrotrophic Bacteria in Pasteurized Milk—Spoilage, Testing, and Line Sampling

Bacteria in pasteurized milk is the leading cause of spoilage and reducing shelf-life. Refer to my earlier posts, How Bacterial Generation Times Impact Fluid Milk Quality and Shelf-life and Heat-Resistant Psychrotrophic Bacteria and Their Effect on the Quality of Pasteurized Milk. In those posts, I discussed the collective efforts of the dairy industry and regulatory…