QUALITY CONTROL of MILK AND

MILK PRODUCTS

- Dr. Shekhar Pokhrel

 Quality
• chemical, physical, technological, economic
bacteriological and aesthetic characteristics.
• Quality can be defined simply as that which the
public likes. Quality is judged by:
– Subjective tests –such as odor, taste, texture (Depend
on attitude of investigator)
– objective tests –Which are recognized scientific tests
(Carried in laboratory)
• The term ‘Quality’ expresses the sum of the
product’s characteristics and performance with
respect to reliability, availability, safety,
nutritional value, freedom from contaminants
i.e., all those attributes that make it appreciated
by consumer.

• This obviously includes all the economic, legal

and technological aspects connected with its
industrial production.
 Quality Control (QC)
• QC is an activity or procedure, method or
programme that will ensure the maintenance and
continuity of specifications and standards of the
products within the prescribed tolerances during all
stages of handling, processing, preparation,
packaging, storage and distribution.
• This ensures that the original and desirable
characteristics are sustained during these operations
and will remain unaltered until consumed.
 Principles Of Quality Control in dairy
industry
• Examination of milk at frequent intervals.
• Proper checking of raw material for their
contamination.
• Adequate hygiene treatment of the utensils and
equipment.
• Personnel hygiene.
• Public health education.
• The tests should be performed with minimum
expenditure.
• A systematic programme of microbiological quality
control is required and followed both at the farm
level as well as in dairy plant.
• Hygiene of the animal and animal handlers.
• Thorough disinfection of every section of the dairy
plant.
• In the absence of official regulatory agencies or
public health supervision to enforce hygiene
standards in dairy industry, the milk plants
themselves should take up the required steps on a
voluntary basis in the larger interest of community as
well as their own long range of economic interest.
 Role Of Quality Control In Dairy Industry

• It is well known that milk constitutes an ideal and

perfect food in human nutrition by virtue of
possessing all the essential nutrients.
• However the same food is extremely susceptible to
microbiological contamination.
• It may easily undergo spoilage due to microbial
growth and activity and may also form a potential
medium for the transmission of disease ,derived from
the infected animals and handlers, unless special
precautions are taken to protect it from
contamination.
• Initial quality of raw milk, conditions of its storage
and transportation and proper pasteurization and
prevention of re-contamination from plant and
equipment are important parameters in this
respect.
• In view of the increased production of milk through
the sustained efforts of government programmes
and scientific endeavors a large bulk of fluid milk is
now being converted in to a variety of products.
• As a result of this the composite milk plants are
now handling huge quantities of fluid milk for
processing through integrated operation
programmes.
• This necessitates vigorous enforcement of quality
control programme and public health supervision at
every level of operation.
• The basic concept of microbiological quality control
is to provide fluid milk disease free udders of healthy
cows for delivery to dairy plants where products are
prepared which in all respects are wholesome and
free from pathogens and of low bacterial count.
• This problem has now assumed serious importance
because the method of mass collection and
distribution of large quantities of milk provides
opportunities for the transmission of diseases over a
wide area even if there is a single act of carelessness
at any stage.
 Test For Quality Of Milk
• The quality of milk is tested before acceptance at
the dairy plant.
• These tests check the suitability of milk for
further processing and human consumption.
• The milk is also graded on the basis of certain
tests.
• In some developed countries, the system of
certifying the herd is prevalent that enforces
strict hygienic standards and certifies various
grades of milk.
 Platform tests
• Smell and organoleptic tests.
• Clot on boiling test.
• pH
• Titrable acidity.
• Sediment test
• Ten minutes resazurin test
• Direct microscopic count
 Need For Microbiological Quality Control For
Milk And Milk Products

• It is well known that milk constitutes an ideal and

perfect food in human nutrition by virtue of possessing
all the essential nutrients.
• However, the same food is extremely susceptible to
microbial contamination.
• It may easily undergo spoilage due to microbial growth
and activity and may also form a potential medium for
the transmission of disease producing organisms
derived from the infected animals and handlers unless
special precautions are taken to protect it from
contamination.
• Protection against pathogens can be achieved
more or less by pasteurization.
• Boiling milk before drinking also renders it safe
and improves its keeping quality.
• However the usefulness of these processes is
dependent on the adequacy of heat treatment
given to milk, initial load of bacterial
contamination in raw milk and protection from
post-pasteurization contamination.
• Initial pasteurization and prevention of
recontamination from plant and equipment are
important parameters in this aspect.
 Microbiological Quality Tests
• Methylene blue reduction test
• Resazurin reduction test
• Total plate count
• Coliform count
• Thermoduric count
• Thermophilic count
• Psychotrophic count
• Spore count
• Proteolytic count
• Lipolyticcount
 Other Tests
• Tests for Mastitis
• Test for Antibiotics, Pesticides and Mycotoxin
residues.
• Among the above tests, the dairies in our
country routinely use smelling the milk in can
and COB to decide the acceptability of the
milk.
S.No Name of the test Purpose Remarks

1 Direct microscopic count To identify the type of microorganism present in Applied as

milk. laboratory test.

2 Standard plate count To determine the extent of bacterial contamination --do--

and growth in milk

3 Fat and/SNF To make payment for milk received --do--

4 Coliform count To determine the faecalcontamination --do--

5 Thermoduric count To determine the bacterial population which resists --do--

pasteurisation.

6 Thermophilic count To determine the number of bacteria that requires --do--

higher temperature for growth.

7 Freezing point To detect adulteration of milk with water Applied as a

laboratory test.

8 Spore count To assess the extent of air contamination --do--

9 Psychrotrophic count To assess effect of cooling on milk quality. --do--

10 Proteolysis To assess the extent of protein decomposition and --do--

flavourchanges on storage

11 Lipolysis To ascertain the extent of fat hydrolysis on storage. --do--

GERMICIDAL PROPERTIES OF MILK

Synonyms
– Native inhibitory substance in milk,
– Antimicrobial system in raw milk,
– Natural defense mechanism in milk
Normal milk contains varying amounts of
substances which inhibit normal development of
certain bacteria and some even kill these bacteria

• Functions:
– To protect mammary gland from infections.
– To confer resistance to young suckling calves.
• After the milk has been drawn from the udder, for
a certain period, there may be certain decrease in
the member of bacteria as determined by plate
count.

• This action as a rule does not continue beyond 3

hours after the milk is drawn.

• High temperature of 140 to 176 o F for 30 minutes

appears to destroy the germicidal property
• several theories have been proposed to explain
this germicidal property

– Certain bacteria die on account of unfavorable

conditions,
– some of them may be ingested by leukocytes in milk.
– Agglutinins present in milk may clump bacteria and
thus cause low plate count.
• Broadly there are 3 types of natural defense
mechanisms in milk system.

– Immune system
– Phagocytosis (engulfment and destruction of
invading organisms)
– Bacteriostatic and bacterocidal proteins and
enzymes (present in milk and capable of
either killig or arresting growth of bacteria)
 1. Immune system
• It consists of inhibitors called immunoglobulin i.e
antibodies against specific antigens.
– IgA : produced locally in udder
– IgG: transferred to milk from blood

• Primary practical significance of antibodies in milk is the

protection of new born through passive immunity against
various diseases

• it also serves to reduce the severity of udder diseases,

– by neutralising the toxins elaborated during disease process
– by acting as opsonins to facilitate the engulfment of bacteria by
PMNG cells
 2.Phagocytosis
• Phagocytes mainly PMN in milk engulf the bacteria

• TLC of normal udder - 100,000 to 500,000 cells/ml

of milk. Of this, 10% are PMN

• Infected udder may have 10,000,000 cells/ml

(90% PMN) that confer protection to udder against
infections
 3. Proteins and enzymes
Whey protein
• non specific defense mechanism having broad spectrum of
activity in milk
• these are lactoferrin, lysozyme and LP system
 
a. Lactoferrin:
• an iron binding protein similar to transferrin in blood
• prevents growth of bacteria by sequestering any free iron
• once iron is bound to lactoferrin, it is no longer available
to bacteria and thus growth stops.
b. Lysozyme:

• Non- specific inhibitor present in milk

• concentration 300 times more in human milk
than in cow milk
• this enzyme hydrolyzes beta 1-4 linkage of
peptidoglycan (linkage between N-acetyl
muramic acid and N-acetyl glucosamine) of
bacterial cell wall, thus weakening of cell wall
and finally lysis of bacteria.
 c. LP system

• most important non-specific inhibitor

• this system comprises 3 components - enzyme

(Lacto peroxidases); the substrate (thiocynate)
and the promoter (H2O2)

• the system is inactive in the absence of any of

the 3 components
• LP is synthesized in mammary gland and always
present in sufficient concentration

• thiocynate and H2O2 concentration become the

limiting factor for system.
– Thiocynate is present in various amounts depending
upon the nutrition of cow.
– H2O2 is usually the core limiting factor.
 Mechanism of action of LPS
• LP oxidises thiocyanate in presence of H2O2 to an
unstable oxidation product, Hypothiocynate, which
is antibacterial in nature
• damage the inner cell membrane causing leakage
and cessation of nutrient uptake, leading
eventually death of organism
• LP system might be utilized as a "cold sterilization"
process to render milk safe for consumption
especially at places where refrigeration is scare.
 BACTERIOPHAGES IN MILK
• viruses or ultramicroscopic organisms
specifically parasitic on bacteria.
• The phages are highly specific for bacterial
strains.
• A phage has been numerically the most
important cause of slow starter action and there
may be complete cessation of starter growth or
failure.
• Never-ending incubations, slower “dead”vats in
cheese-making are typical, meaning, it prevents
normal ripening of cheese.
• They bring the acid development to a complete
halt and acidity may not develop again until
either a fresh strain of lactic streptococci
succeeds in establishing itself or possibly a few
phage resistant cells from the original strain
ultimately resume growth.
• They are too small to be seen under ordinary
microscope
• They can not be removed from a solution by the
filters of the type which remove bacteria since
their size is significantly less than that of a
bacterium.
• They remain active at low temperature and drying, as
well as they are active at pH 6.5

• Like microorganisms and enzymes they are destroyed

by heating for 30 to 60 minutes at a temperature of
70 –750C.

• They are also destroyed by UV light but resist dilute

HgCl2 solution.

• Certain dyes such as methylene blue may also

inactivate phage.
 Benefits

• Reduction of product losses and downtime

• Better control of lactic acid production rate and
maximize process yield
• Reduction of time and labor-intensive sanitation
procedures in case of contamination
• Reduction of non-conforming product cost due
to taste or flavor modification
• Process safety enhancement due to
fermentation control