Short notes

a) Quality control of milk and milk product

Milk and milk products are biochemically unstable. Quality control of milk ensures that milk and milk
products are free of pathogenic bacteria and harmful substances and ensures that there is low
bacterial count, that the products are free from adulteration and that they are pure, healthy and of
quality.

Some of the quality control measures for milk are,

- After reception of raw milk, rapid chilling should be carried out immediately to temperature of
5°C.
- Clean strainer should be used for removal of extraneous matters, such as dirt, hair, dust, dung,
plastics, broken glass pieces, nails, wire, pant leaves, fly etc.
- Proper maintenance of pasteurization temperature is required. No milk residues should be left
after cleaning- in- place is done. Proper sanitization of crates is very essential. It is imperative to
avoid rupturing of milk pouches during handling. Control of air temperature in the coolers
should be maintained. It is suggested that hot water must be used for proper flushing of vending
machine. Many pathogens survive in environment for long periods of time, and can enter in milk
from various sources.

Quality control of milk products, cream and butter

- It is incredibly important to make use of high-quality of milk to manufacture cream. Therefore,

sufficient heat treatment of milk should be done. Final cooling of cream in tank to 5°C is
required. Proper storage of cream at 5°C or less is very essential.
- Table / creamery butter should contain not less than 80 % fat, 3 % common salt, and 1.5 % curd.
Diacetyl, which is added as a flavouring agent, should not exceed 4 ppm.
- Proper pasteurization of cream is fundamental to destroy the microbes. Multiplication of
psychrotrophs can be prevented by efficient cooling at low temperature (3-5°C). Just prior to
use, churn should be sanitized with 200 mg/liter chlorine solution. Most of the organisms in
cream are drained in buttermilk but molds are retained in the butter. In order to control the
moulds, regular cleaning of butter churn is crucial. Blending should be avoided as it increases the
microbial count in butter. In addition, use of clean and sanitized packing material, proper
cleaning of surface of packing room, storage of cream at low temperature, good ventilation in
storage room, prevention of aerial contamination, maintenance of high standard of hygiene in
butter packing, and hygienic practices by food handler are key measures, which are required to
produce a good quality of butter, which is safe to human health. Further, it is vital to point out
that the hygienic storage of butter at -25 to -29°C can maintain the keeping quality of the
product for at least one year.

Quality control of ice-cream,

- Sugar can be a major source of molds, yeasts, and bacterial spores. It is prudent to use the sugar
having mesophilic count of less than 20 and yeasts and molds count should be less than 1.0 per
gram. Fresh and frozen fruits should be examined for yeasts. Nuts may contain molds and
therefore, nuts should be sterilized with ethylene oxide and CO2 at the ratio of 1:9. Air can be
 potential source of organisms and hence, only filtered air should be incorporated in ice cream.
Packaging materials should be effectively sanitized before use, since they are good source of
fungi.

Quality control of cheese,

- High quality of raw milk should be used. Bactofugation of raw milk at 10,000 to 20,000 rpm can
reduce bacterial count by 99.98 per cent. Good, active starter cultures should be added @1 per
cent to milk and care must be taken to avoid microbial contamination.
- Pipelines and other utensils should be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized every day. These
measures are proved very effective to produce good quality of cheese.

Quality control of milk powder,

- It is important to state that high microbial quality of raw milk must be used for the
manufacturing of dried milk powder. Evaporators should be properly cleaned and sanitized as
they may act as potential source of microbial contamination.

Quality control of yoghurt,

- It is advised that pasteurized milk should be employed in the preparation of yoghurt. Use of raw
milk with high microbial load causes a reduction in the quality of yoghurt. As sugar can be the
major source of yeasts, moulds and bacterial spores, it is advisable to use the sugar having
mesophilic count of less than 20, and yeasts and molds count less than 1.0 per gram.

b) Cleaning of dairy equipment

Cleaning dairy equipment is necessary to prevent,

- Accumulation of undesirable microorganisms in the equipment

- Development of bad smells in the equipment which passes on to the product
- Loss of efficiency in a dirty separator
- Possible corrosion of metal parts due to lactic acid
- Mould growth on wooden surfaces leading to contamination of the product and discoloration
etc.

The primary objective is to ensure that consistent daily turn-out of safe and clean products that
comply with food acts and regulations can be executed properly. It also ensures the keeping quality
of dairy products and enhances consumer confidence in them.

- Milk contact surfaces must be appropriately cleansed and disinfected immediately after each
milking.
- All equipment must be kept clean and in good condition.
- Any soiling of the milking equipment must be washed off before cluster re-attachment.
- Faecal matter should be cleaned off floors and stall work as soon as practicable, and before
another animal or batch enters the milking area.
- Equipment must be made from appropriate food-grade material and must be kept clean and in
good condition at all times.
- Immediately after milking, equipment must be cleaned, disinfected and rinsed with potable
water

Some of the good practices in cleaning of dairy equipment are as follows,

- Hose equipment should be used to keep the environment clean during milking. After each
milking and prior to circulation cleaning, we should scrub exterior surfaces with warm sanitizer
solution.
- We should also clean interior surfaces after each milking by either:
 Hot circulation cleaning – a warm premise, a hot re-circulation wash with a sanitizer solution
and a final cold rinse (ideally containing 25ml hypochlorite/40l of water). Use of a milk-stone
remover is recommended where necessary to prevent scale build up inside the equipment
 Acidified boiling water cleaning – a once thorough hot wash with acid solution. Use a
hypochlorite solution weekly in place of acid - to prevent a build-up of a protein (biofilm).
- We should clean the vacuum pipelines at least monthly and check and clean “blind” areas daily.
- Regularly inspect and renew perishable items to maintain in a good physical condition. This will
help control levels of bacteria in the plant, and help prevent teat end damage.
- The food storage area or the milk storage room needs to be managed to minimize the risk of
contamination at all times. We should keep covers in place at all times. During milking, there
should be a closure around the delivery pipe into the milk tank. If covers are lost they must be
replaced as soon as possible
- If any part of the tank or silo is sited outside the milk storage area, the tank outlet, air vent and
inspection hatch must be constructed and managed to prevent contamination of the milk.
- The interior surfaces of the tank must be cleaned each time the tank is emptied
 Rinse with potable water.
 Clean with sanitizer solution.
 Rinse with potable water.
- The exterior of the tank should be kept clean. Acceptable cleaning methods include the
following:
 Manual cleaning with an iodophor solution or chemical powder paste, allowing 10 minutes
sanitizer contact time. Ensure less accessible areas such as under tank bridges, around tank
bungs and inside the outlet pipes are cleaned.
 Automatic cold cleaning using an iodophor or acid based cleaning solution. A weekly manual
clean with hypochlorite cleaning solution or powder is needed to maintain cleanliness.
 Automatic hot cleaning using a hypochlorite based sanitizer. Periodic treatment with milk-
stone remover is usually needed. Regularly check that the automatic cleaning systems are
working effectively. Manual cleaning of the outside surfaces of the tanks is necessary to
maintain acceptable conditions to minimize the risk of contaminating the product.
- Once the equipment have been sanitized, washed and rinsed, they should be stored in a clean,
dry, dust-free area or be operated on as necessary.