Effect of psychrotrophic post-pasteurization contamination on the keeping quality at 11 and 5 °C of HTST-pasteurized milk in the UK

Abstract

The keeping quality of commercial HTST-pasteurized milk and laboratory pasteurized milk from a common bulk raw supply has been investigated for 5 dairies. Spoilage occurred at levels of total bacterial counts around 10(7) colony forming units/ml, but with a slightly higher off-flavour threshold for the commercial milks than the laboratory pasteurized milks. The predominant microflora at spoilage and the type of off-flavour produced differed between the 2 types of milk. Raising the storage temperature from 5 to 11 degrees C caused a slight shift in the spoilage microflora and led to an average reduction in the shelf life of the laboratory pasteurized milk from 28 to 6 d and of the commercial pasteurized milk from 13 to 5 d. Changes in the level of post-pasteurization contamination (PPC) were reflected in changes in keeping quality, particularly at 5 degrees C. However, the greatest improvements were found in the absence of PPC.