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

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

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…

Water System Testing for Microorganisms in a Brewery – Committed to Quality
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Water System Testing for Microorganisms in a Brewery – Committed to Quality

Water system testing for microorganisms in a brewery is a regular part of the process at Cold Spring Brewing Company (CSBC). It has been the hallmark of this iconic brewery for well over a century and shows its total commitment to quality. A brief history of CSBC CSBC is located in Cold Spring, Minnesota. It…

Impact of Somatic Cell Counts on Dairy Farmers
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Impact of Somatic Cell Counts on Dairy Farmers

Somatic Cell Counts (SCC) is not just a scientific term of academic interest, it has real-world implications for every dairy farmer. Simply put, lowering SCC leads to increased profits. That’s not just us saying so, we recently ran across this article, Somatic Cell Count Impacts Everything by Mike Lormore, DVM, MS, MBA, Director Cattle Technical…

Mastitis Management in Dairy Cows and Improving Herd Health Through Inline Sampling
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Mastitis Management in Dairy Cows and Improving Herd Health Through Inline Sampling

Mastitis management in dairy cows and improving herd health are two significant challenges among many others that dairy farmers face. That’s because mastitis is the costliest disease affecting dairy cattle. Consequently, prevention and control of mastitis are the keys to reducing this condition’s negative impact on dairy operations. Several international studies have addressed this issue…

Aseptic Sampling System: Why Consistent Test Results are Important
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Aseptic Sampling System: Why Consistent Test Results are Important

An aseptic sampling system is critical for the quality control process in the liquid food industry. One of QualiTru’s customers in the yeast-fermented beverage business (Brewery) had a specific problem they were facing. Customer problem: Inconsistent results from quality samples Of course, our team took on the challenge of solving the vexing problem of inconsistent…

Maintaining the Quality of Pasteurized Fluid Milk
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Maintaining the Quality of Pasteurized Fluid Milk

Quality control of pasteurized fluid milk can be complex and requires the understanding of microbial contamination, both in raw and processed milk. Aseptic and representative sampling plays an important role in monitoring raw milk quality and process monitoring for contamination within the dairy plant. Fluid milk (A commonly used term in the industry for milk…

The Sample – Our Weakest Link!?
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The Sample – Our Weakest Link!?

If we trust the sampling and testing process, we are more confident in the result and can make informed decisions. To illustrate, let’s look at a non-dairy industry example. Recently, my doctor ordered a blood sample. Keen to divert my attention from the needle, I looked out of the window and reflected on the seamless…