QUALITY CONTROL OF PASTEURISED MILK *

1. INTRODUCTION

Milk testing and quality control is an essential component of any milk processing industry
whether small, medium or large scale. Milk being made up of 87% water is prone to
adulteration by unscrupulous middlemen and unfaithful farm workers. Moreover, its high
nutritive value makes it an ideal medium for the rapid multiplication of bacteria, particularly
under unhygienic production and storage at ambient temperatures. We know that, in order
for any processor to make good dairy products, good quality raw materials are essential.
A milk processor or handler will only be assured of the quality of raw milk if certain basic
quality tests are carried out at various stages of transportation of milk from the producer
to the processor and finally to the consumer.

MILK TESTING AND QUALITY CONTROL

2.1 WHAT IS MILK QUALITY CONTROL?

Milk quality control is the use of approved tests to ensure the application of approved
practices, standards and regulations concerning the milk and milk products. The tests are
designed to ensure that milk products meet accepted standards for CHEMICAL
COMPOSITION AND PURITY AS WELL AS LEVELS OF DIFFERENT MICRO-
ORGANISMS.

2.2 WHY HAVE MILK QUALITY CONTROL?

Testing milk and milk products for quality and monitoring that MILK PRODUCTS,
PROCESSORS and MARKETING AGENCIES adhere to accepted codes of practices
costs money. There must be good reasons why we have to have a quality control system
for the dairy industry.

The reasons are:

i)To the Milk Producer.

The milk producer expects a fair price in accordance with the quality of milk produces.

ii) The Milk Processor.

The milk processor who pays the producer must assure himself/herself that the milk
received for processing is of normal composition and is suitable for processing into
various dairy products.
iii) The Consumer.

The consumer expects to pay a fair price for milk and milk products of acceptable to
excellent quality.

iv) The Public and Government Agencies.

These have to ensure that the health and nutritional status of the people is protected from
consumption of contaminated and sub-standard foodstuffs and that prices paid are fair to
the milk producers, the milk processor and the final consumer.

All the above-is only possible through institution of a workable quality testing and
assurance system conforms to national or internationally acceptable standards.

2.3 QUALITY CONTROL IN THE MILK MARKETING CHAIN

i) At the farm

Quality control and assurance must begin at the farm. This is achieved through farmers
using approved practices of milk production and handling; and observation of laid down
regulations regarding, use of veterinary drugs on lactating animals, regulations against
adulterations of milk etc.

ii) At Milk collection Centres

All milk from different farmers or bulked milk from various collecting centres must be
checked for wholesomeness, bacteriological, and chemical quality.

iii) At the Dairy Factories

Milk from individual farmers or bulked milk from various collecting centres

iv) Within the Dairy Factory

Once the dairy factor has accepted the farmer milk it has the responsibility of ensuring
that the milk is handled hygienically during processing. It must carry out quality assurance
test to ensure that the products produced conform to specified standards as to the
adequacy of effect of processes applied and the keeping quality of manufactured
products. A good example is the phosphatase test used on pasteurised milk and the
acidity development test done on U.H.T milk.

v) During marketing of processed products

Public Health authorities are employed by law to check the quality of food stuffs sold for
public consumption and may impound substandard or contaminated foodstuffs including
possible prosecution of culprits. This is done in order to protect the interest of the milk
consuming public.

2.4 TECHNIQUES USED IN MILK TESTING AND QUALITY CONTROL

2.4.1 Milk sampling

Accurate sampling is the first requirement for fair and just quality control system. Liquid
milk in cans and bulk tanks should be thoroughly mixed to disperse the milk fat before a
milk sample is taken for any chemical control tests. Representative samples of packed
products must be taken for any investigation on quality. Plungers and dippers me used in
sampling milk from milk cans.

2.4.2 Sampling milk for bacteriological testing

Sampling milk for bacteriological tests require a lot of care. Dippers used must have been
sterilised in an autoclave or pressure cooker for at least 15 minutes at 120° C before hand
in order not to contaminate the sample. On the spot sterilisation may be employed using
70% Alcohol swab and flaming or scaling in hot steam or boiling water for 1 minute.

Fig. 1: Equipment used for taking milk samples

2.4.3 Preservation of sample

Milk samples for chemical tests.

Milk samples for butterfat testing may be preserved with chemicals like Potassium
dichromate (1 Tablet or ½ ml 14% solution in a ¼ litre sample bottle is adequate.) Milk
samples that have been kept cooling a refrigerator or ice-box must first be warmed in
water bath at 40 ºC, cooled to 20ºC, mixed and a sample then taken for butterfat
determination. Other preservative chemicals include Sodium azid at the rate of 0.08%
and Bronopol (2-bromo-2-nitro-1,3-propanediol) used at the rate of 0.02%.

If the laboratory cannot start work on a sample immediately after sampling, the sample
must be cooled to near freezing point quickly and be kept cool till the work can start. If
samples are to be taken in the field e.g. at a milk cooling centre, ice boxes with ice pecks
are useful.

2.4.4. Labelling and records keeping

Samples must be clearly labelled with name of farmer or code number and records of
dates, and places included in standard data sheets. Good records must be kept neat and
in a dry place. It is desirable that milk producers should see their milk being tested, and
the records should be made available to them if they so require.

2.4.5 Common testing of milk.

2.4.5.1 Organoleptic tests

The organoleptic test permits rapid segregation of poor-quality milk at the milk receiving
platform. No equipment is required, but the milk grader must have good sense of sight,
smell and taste. The result of the test is obtained instantly, and the cost of the test are
low. Milk which cannot be adequately judged organoleptically must be subjected to other
more sensitive and objective tests.

Procedure:

• Open a can of milk.

Judgement:

Abnormal smell and taste may be caused by:

• Atmospheric taint (e.g. barny/cowy odour).

The test is quick and simple. It is one of the old tests for too acidic milk(pH<5.8) or
abnormal milk (e.g. colostral milk). If a milk sample fails in the test, the milk must contain
many acid or rennet producing microorganisms or the milk has an abnormal high
percentage of proteins like colostral milk. Such milk cannot stand the heat treatment in
milk processing and must therefore be rejected.

Procedure:

Boil a small amount of milk in a spoon, test tube or other suitable container. If there is
clotting, coagulation or precipitation, the milk has failed the test. Heavy contamination in
freshly drawn milk cannot be detected, when the acidity is below 0.20-0.26% Lactic acid.

Fig 2. Equipment used in C.O.B. test