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

ByMara Herschbach

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…

Combat Microbial Spoilage: Ensuring Dairy Quality Assurance with QualiTru
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Combat Microbial Spoilage: Ensuring Dairy Quality Assurance with QualiTru

ByClarence Johnson

The dairy industry faces the continuous challenge of maintaining the safety and quality of milk and its derivatives. Despite significant advancements in processing technologies, a 2018 paper in the Journal of Dairy Science reported that nearly half of all fluid milk products show evidence of post-pasteurization contamination with psychrotrophic or psychrotolerant spoilage organisms.1 This contamination primarily stems from…

The Process of Sampling and Testing and the Importance of Starting with Results in Mind
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The Process of Sampling and Testing and the Importance of Starting with Results in Mind

ByJack van der Sanden

In the world of food safety in the dairy industry, one of the key pillars is the process of sampling and testing. And we do test a lot! Starting on the farm, we test from the cows to the pens to the holding tanks and all the way to the tanker. Then at the dairy plant,…

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…

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…

Raw Milk String Sampling to Help Increase Feed Ration Efficiency
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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…

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

String Sampling RE-Imagined for Milk Quality and Much More…
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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…

Dairy Farm Contamination Issues—How Sampling Comes to the Rescue
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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…

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…