Membrane Filtration Sampling
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Membrane Filtration Sampling

ByChris Pundmann

Membrane filtration is a widely used process in the dairy industry that separates specific components of milk and whey and then either concentrates or removes/reduces them. The technology used in cheese-making, whey protein concentration, fractionation of protein, and numerous other dairy processes requires special sampling considerations for both regulatory purposes and component analysis. It is…

Prevalence of Cold-tolerant Spore-forming Bacteria in the Milk Supply 
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Prevalence of Cold-tolerant Spore-forming Bacteria in the Milk Supply 

ByClarence Johnson

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…

Post-Pasteurization Contamination Monitoring: A Canary in the Coal Mine
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Post-Pasteurization Contamination Monitoring: A Canary in the Coal Mine

ByDarrell Bigalke

Post-pasteurization contamination in dairy plants is a warning signal for potential food safety and spoilage concerns. While having an effective sanitation program gets the most attention, good sanitation alone cannot guarantee product quality and food safety. Sampling and testing products during processing are critical for identifying potential sources of post-pasteurization contamination. Possible causes of post-pasteurization…

Low-Spore Milk Production—The Mantra and its Benefits
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Low-Spore Milk Production—The Mantra and its Benefits

ByDavid Blomquist

Guest post: We are proud to introduce our guest blogger, David Blomquist. He is a well-known and respected consultant in the dairy and food processing industry. Read his full bio at the end of this article. Low-spore milk production has financial benefits for many producers and processors. Fluid milk plants can reduce shelf-life issues by…

Aseptic Sampling for Dairy Plants—Representative or Grab Sampling?
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Aseptic Sampling for Dairy Plants—Representative or Grab Sampling?

ByAnne Bigalke

Aseptic sampling for dairy plants is essential for quality management. A dairy processor can only be assured of final product quality if strict, comprehensive sampling and testing protocols are followed throughout the process, from unloading the milk at the plant to the finished product. Aseptic and representative sampling for dairy plants is crucial for accurate…

Aseptic Sampling System for Tanker Trucks: Improves Safety, Reduces Injuries, Increases Productivity and Profits
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Aseptic Sampling System for Tanker Trucks: Improves Safety, Reduces Injuries, Increases Productivity and Profits

ByMark Moores

This is a guest post written by Mark Z. Moores, CPCU, ARM, AAI, President, Moores Insurance Management, Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is a highly respected adviser in the insurance industry. See Author Bio at the end of the post. Compared to other industries, trucking, including the milk tanker industry, has some of the highest work-related injury…

Bacteriophage Control Using Closed Bulk Starter Vessel Inoculation – Part 2
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Bacteriophage Control Using Closed Bulk Starter Vessel Inoculation – Part 2

ByDarrell Bigalke

Bacteriophage control and management for preventing phage invasions are challenges many dairy processing plants face. Starter culture bacteria play an essential role by converting milk sugar (lactose) into lactic acid in making dairy products such as cheese and yogurt. Photomicrograph of yogurt showing S. thermophilus and L. bulgaricus. (Image: Courtesy of Mullan, Michael. (2014). Starter…

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

ByDan Funke

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…

Impact of Bacteriophages in Dairy Processing – Part 1
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Impact of Bacteriophages in Dairy Processing – Part 1

ByBrock Bigalke

The quality of milk can be negatively impacted by multiple sources of contamination in a dairy processing plant. Previous blogs focused primarily on microbial contamination of raw milk caused by various bacteria. For products such as cheese and yogurt, starter culture bacteria play a positive and essential role. However, the fermentation function of starter cultures can be threatened by another microbial contamination, bacteriophages, or phages as…

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

ByDarrell Bigalke

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…