Microbial Rapid Detection Techniques in Milk

Milk is an essential component in many people’s diets, and its benefits are important from early infancy. Milk is rich in probiotics, but its water and protein content makes it vulnerable to spoilage and it is easily ruined by poor hygiene. 

Microbial rapid detection techniques in milk testing can reveal the presence of microorganisms like bacteria, helping gauge the likelihood of contamination and keep quality under control. 

What microbes are in milk? 

Milk can be an ideal breeding ground for a wide range of microbes. Modern sanitation practices like pasteurisation thankfully destroy the harmful microbes in milk without affecting the nutritional quality. 

Untreated or poorly stored milk can contain microorganisms including: 

  • Salmonella (various species): common bacteria that cause food poisoning. The World Health Organisation estimates roughly 16 million cases caused by salmonella occur every year. 

  • Listeria monocytogenes: another commonly known bacteria whose infections can cause fever and muscle aches, flu-like symptoms, meningitis, and can even be fatal. 

  • Mycobacterium bovis/tuberculosis: both of these organisms cause tuberculosis, a bacterial infection of the lungs that can last for a long time. 

  • Coliforms: a group of bacteria found in the intestinal tracts of various animals. Its presence suggests contamination from fecal sources. 

  • Escherichia coli O157:H7: better known as E. coli, this coliform is found in cattle and produces toxins that can prove harmful and sometimes fatal to humans. 

Microbial rapid detection techniques in milk can also reveal the presence of problems like mastitis in cows, letting treatment take place sooner and solving the source of the issue quicker. 

What are rapid methods for identifying microorganisms? 

Typically, microscopy has been a slow but thorough method of identifying organisms present in dairy. 

However, a method known as an ATP bioluminescence test has gained increasing popularity for its convenience and speed over recent years. The test detects levels of adenosine triphosphate, which is a molecule only found in the presence of living cells. As such, its presence can be tested for to evaluate a surface or substance for microorganisms. 

Rapid microbial detection equipment for milk 

The Charm novaLUM II-X System is an ATP and hygiene test that can evaluate both food and water content. Swabbed samples can be read in as little as five seconds, offering a rapid method of testing contamination even at very low levels. 

The Lactoscan SCC counts somatic cells to detect the presence of mastitis in a herd. Lactoscan delivers results within 30 seconds to enable fast evaluation and quick, responsive treatment. The system can be used on the farm, eliminating the need to send samples back and forth between laboratories. 

Rapid testing with Calibre Control 

Calibre Control’s testing equipment for microbial rapid detection techniques in milk cut both time and cost for your production, ensuring that produce is clean and that your herd is healthy. Take hold of responsive farming with fast and efficient testing equipment. 

To learn more about microbial testing equipment, contact Calibre Control today. 

Rachael Smith