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

Micro Testing for Post-pasteurization Contamination (Part 3)

ByNeil Bogart

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…

Honoring Four Decades of Helping to Ensure Food Safety and Food Quality
| | | | |

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…

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

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

ByNeil Bogart

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…

Raw Milk Dairy Micro Testing (Part 1)
| | | | |

Raw Milk Dairy Micro Testing (Part 1)

ByNeil Bogart

Why do you do it? What do the test results tell you? Is the test you use still a valid one? In part one of this dairy micro testing series, Raw Milk Dairy Micro Testing, I would like to take you on a journey through the development of some of the principal tests used in…

Why is Aseptic Inline Sampling Critical to Process Monitoring? 
| | | |

Why is Aseptic Inline Sampling Critical to Process Monitoring? 

ByMara Herschbach

The significant food safety recalls that have occurred in the dairy processing industry this past year, ranging from Listeria outbreaks in ice cream to Cronobacter in infant formula, and the Food and Drug Administration’s* (FDA)’s recent publication of its revised Investigations Operations Manual draw attention to the criticality of inline process monitoring of bacterial risks,…

Representative Sampling for Butterfat Verification
| | |

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…

Membrane Filtration Sampling
| | | | | |

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 
| | | | |

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…

Raw Milk String Sampling to Help Increase Feed Ration Efficiency
| | |

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…

Clean-in-Place (CIP) Troubleshooting—Following the Water Principle
| | |

Clean-in-Place (CIP) Troubleshooting—Following the Water Principle

ByRick Rector

When troubleshooting clean-in-place (CIP) or assisted cleaning system (ACS) cleaned processes, often, many people forget the simple basics: If you pump it in, it should come out. The Following the Water Principle is just that, as shown below in a single pass CIP/ACS system. A clean-in-place checklist Note to self, check for water! Staying true…