Diary Microbiology

COMPOSITION OF MILK
MILK

Water Total solids

Fat(lipid) Solid non fat

(SNF)

Associated
True fat
substances Nitrogenous Mineral
Lactose Other
substances matter
constituents
Phospholipids
Protein
pigments
Cholesterol

Non-protein Dissolve
Carotene gases

vitamins
Vitamins

Enzymes
 Factors affecting Milk composition
o Animal factor
 Genetic, Species, Breed, Individual cow, Lactation period
o Age & Genetic factors
 Breed, species, feed and individuality
o Stage of lactation, pregnancy, nutritional balance
o Health status of the cow
 Oestrus, gestation, presence of mastitic infection
o Environmental factors
 Extreme climates, stress, exhaustion, housing
 Milking technique and milking frequency and stage
 Factors affecting Microbial Growth
• Intrinsic Parameters (inside the milk)
• Factors inherent to the food. They are chemical and physical characteristics of
food.
– pH
– Moisture
– Oxidation-Reduction Potential Inside Food
– Nutrient Content
– Natural Antimicrobial Constituents
– Biological Structures & Natural Microflora

• Extrinsic Parameters (environment around the milk)

• Storage conditions of the food i.e. properties of the environment in which the
food is stored
– Temperature
– Relative Humidity
– Presence of Gases or Oxygen
– Antimicrobials or Added Microorganisms
 pH
• Microorganisms sensitive to changes in acidity
because H+ and OH- interfere with H bonding in
proteins and nucleic acids.

• Microbes have no mechanism for adjusting their

internal pH.

• Therefore, pH of food significantly affects the

microbial growth on it.
 WATER ACTIVITY
• It is a ratio of water vapour pressure of the food substance to
the vapour pressure of pure water at the same temperature.
• Water activity is expressed as:
• Water activity (aw) = P/ Pw where P= water vapour pressure
of the food substance and Pw= water vapour pressure of pure
water (Pw = 1.00).
• The growth of microorganisms is limited due to minimum
water activity values (Table 2):
• Milk having high water activity is more susceptible to
spoilage by micro-organisms.
 NUTRIENT CONTENT

• Microorganisms require
• Energy source such as carbohydrates, amino acids, proteins,
organic acids and alcohol.
• Nitrogen source such as amino acids, peptides, nucleotides,
urea, proteins and ammonia.
• Carbon source
• Minerals such as phosphorus, iron, manganese, magnesium,
calcium and potassium.
• e. Vitamins and other growth factors
• Milk being a rich source of all the above gets easily spoiled by
the micro-organisms.
 PRESENCE OF ANTIMICROBIALS

• Natural constituents of foods which affect

microbial growth are:
 Lactoferrin e.g. Milk
 Lactoperoxidase e.g. Cow’s milk
 Conglutinin e.g. Cow’s milk
These antimicrobials help preserve milk for
longer period of time.
 MICROFLORA IN MILK
• In addition to being a nutritious food for humans,
milk provides a favourable environment for the
growth of microorganisms.
• Yeasts, moulds and a broad spectrum of bacteria can
grow in milk, particularly at temperatures above
16°C.
• Microbes can enter milk via the cow, air, feedstuffs,
milk handling equipment and the milker.
• Once microorganisms get into the milk their numbers
increase rapidly.
• It is more effective to exclude micro-organisms than
to try to control microbial growth once they have
entered the milk.
 Microflora of UHT milk
• Ultra-high temperature is carried out at 135°-150°C coupled with
aseptic packaging.
• The only microflora survive UHT treatment are bacterial spore of
thermophlic bacilli( B. stearothermophilus) and sometimes to
mesophilic bacilli and clostridia.
• Major spoilage organisms in heat processed milk are, B.
megaterium( main cause), B. firmus, B. polymyxa, B. coagulans
and Clostridium spp.
• Microorganisms entering through faulty packaging practices are
usually associated with stagnant water on dairy floors
( Pseudomonas, Coryneform, Micrococci etc).
• Major defects --> coagulation, bitterness and gassiness.
 Microflora of Boiled Milk
• In India, milk is boiled to 100°C for brief period
before consumption.
• Boiling kills vegetative forms of all microbes except
heat stable enterotoxins esp. of Staphylococci.
• Post pasteurization contamination can also occur due
to improperly cleaned utensils and due to improperly
heated portions of milk.
• Major defects--> off-flavour (proteolytic),
coagulation and gassiness.
• Boiled milk should be utilized within 16 hrs,
particularly in absence of refrigeration.
MILK SPOILING
BACTERIA
 Bacillus cereus
• B. cereus is a thick long rod shaped Gram positive, catalase
positive aerobic spore former and the organism is important in
food borne illness.
• It is quite often a cause of diarrheal illness due to the
consumption of desserts, meat, dishes, dairy products, rice,
pasta etc that are cooked and kept at room temperature as it is
thermoduric.
• Some of the B. cereus strains are psychrotrophic as they grow
at refrigeration temperature.
• B. cereus is spread from soil and grass to cows udders and into
the raw milk.
• It is also capable of establishing in cans. It is also capable of
producing proteolytic and amyloltic enzymes and also
phoslipase C (lecithinase).
• The production of these enzymes by these organisms can lead to
the spoilage of foods.
• The diarrheal illness is caused by an enterotoxin produced during
the vegetative growth of B. cereus in small intestine.
• The bacterium has a maximum growth temperature around 48°C
to 50°C and pH range 4.9 to 9.3. Like other spores of mesophilic
Bacillus species, spores of B. cereus are also resistant to heat and
survive pasteurization temperature.
 Clostridium perfringens
• C. perfringens is a Gram-positive encapsulated anaerobic
non-motile bacterium commonly found on meat and meat
products.
• It has the ability to cause food borne disease. It is a toxin
producing organism-produces C. perfringens enterotoxin
and β -toxin that are active on the human GI tract.
• It multiplies very rapidly in food (doubling time < 10 min).
• Spores are resistant to radiation, desiccation and heat and
thus survive in incompletely or inadequately cooked foods.
• However, it tolerates moderate exposure to air.
• Vegetative cells of C. perfringens are also somewhat
heat tolerant as they have relatively high growth
temperature (43°C -45 °C ) and can often grow at
50°C.
• They are not tolerant to refrigeration and freezing. No
growth occurs at 6 °C . C. perfringens is present in soil
and the other natural environment.
 Interesting, right?
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