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Raw Milk Testing for the 21st Century: Key Parameters for Achieving High Quality 

ByNicole Martin, PhD

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…

Scholarship Award Graphic
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Honoring Four Decades of Helping to Ensure Food Safety and Food Quality

ByMara Herschbach

On March 22, 2023, the QualiTru team met at the University of Minnesota’s Department of Food Science and Nutrition for an educational pilot plant tour led by Darrell Bigalke, founder of QualiTru Sampling Systems, dairy microbiologist, entrepreneur, and proud University of Minnesota alum.  As part of the celebration of QualiTru’s  40th anniversary, the team had…

Representative Sampling for Butterfat Verification
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Representative Sampling for Butterfat Verification

ByAnne Bigalke

Why is representative sampling for butterfat verification important? Because reliable data equals accurate payment! Butterfat percentages in milk have been on the rise over the last decade, along with a substantial upward trend for butterfat pricing. That’s great news for farmers. It also raises the stakes regarding the accuracy and reliability of the data upon which…

Raw milk string sampling
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Raw Milk String Sampling to Help Increase Feed Ration Efficiency

ByDr. Kraig Peel

Raw milk string sampling has become increasingly important. This post examines the potential value of string sampling of milk to help nutritionists fine-tune ruminant formulations to provide better information and manage costs. Current feed market prices have milk producers looking for every possible way to manage costs, making the role of ruminant nutritionists increasingly important. We scrutinize…

Peristaltic Pump FAQs
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Using a Peristaltic Pump for Representative Sampling—FAQs

ByDan Funke

A peristaltic pump is commonly used to collect a representative milk sample by farmers and veterinarians. There are several reasons to use QualiTru’s sampling system for collecting representative composite samples of milk. These include: In this post, I’ll go over some of our new customers’ frequently asked questions (FAQs) about using a peristaltic pump for…

Lab Pasteurized Count in raw milk
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Lab Pasteurized Count for Estimating Bacteria in Raw Milk

ByDan Funke

The Lab Pasteurized Count (LPC) estimates the number of bacteria in a raw milk sample that can survive the pasteurization process. Most bacteria are destroyed by pasteurization. However, certain types are not. (Source: Journal of Dairy Science 92(10):4978-87) Lab Pasteurized Count test determines bacteria that are not natural Raw milk can be contaminated by various…

QualiTru's string sampling
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String Sampling RE-Imagined for Milk Quality and Much More…

ByDan Funke

String sampling has traditionally been an affordable and reliable method for monitoring milk quality and udder health on commercial dairy farms. While that application is the most widely used, string sampling offers much more. Do you want to improve efficiency and better manage costs? Other farm applications can benefit significantly by adapting QualiTru’s string sampling…

Standard Plate Count and raw milk quality
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Standard Plate Count of Milk: Effects on Quality

ByDan Funke

Standard Plate Count (SPC) directly impacts the quality of raw milk. The quality of the raw milk supply begins on the dairy farm and ends when the product is consumed by consumers. Maintaining the highest quality throughout this chain requires close monitoring and numerous regulations and quality standards for Grade “A” raw milk. SPC measures…

dairy farm contaminations robotic milking
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Dairy Farm Contamination Issues—How Sampling Comes to the Rescue

ByRandy Allwardt

Guest post: QualiTru is pleased to introduce our guest blogger, Randy Allwardt. He has been a Hygiene Specialist at Prengers Inc. for the past eight years, helping dairy farmers in the Midwest prevent and troubleshoot issues related to milk quality. Dairy farm contamination issues are serious. Accurately identifying a source of contamination is critical for…

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

ByDan Funke

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…