Use of Microfiltration to Improve Fluid Milk Quality

The objectives of the research were to determine the growth characteristics of bacteria in commercially pasteurized skim milk as a function of storage temperature; to determine the efficacy of a microfiltration and pasteurization process in reducing the number of total bacteria, spores, and coliforms in skim milk; and to estimate the shelf life of pasteurized microfiltered skim milk as a function of storage temperature. For the first objective, commercially pasteurized skim milk was stored at 0.1, 2.0, 4.2, and 6.1°C. A total bacterial count >20,000 cfu/mL was considered the end of shelf life. Shelf life ranged from 16 d at 6.1°C to 66 d at 0.1°C. Decreasing storage temperature increased lag time and reduced logarithmic growth rate of a mixed microbial population. The increased lag time for the mixed microbial population at a lower storage temperature was the biggest contributor to longer shelf life. For the second objective, raw skim milk was microfiltered at 50°C using a Tetra Alcross M7 Pilot Plant equipped with a ceramic Membralox membrane (pore diameter of 1.4 [micro]m). The 50°C permeate was pasteurized at 72°C for 15 s, and cooled to 6°C. Bacterial counts of raw skim milk were determined by standard plate count. Bacterial counts of microfiltered and pasteurized microfiltered skim milk were determined using a most probable number method. Across 3 trials, bacterial counts of the raw milk were reduced from 2,400, 3,600, and 1,475 cfu/mL to 0.240, 0.918, and 0.240 cfu/mL, respectively, by microfiltration. Bacterial counts in the pasteurized microfiltered skim milk for the 3 trials were 0.005, 0.008, and 0.005 cfu/mL, respectively, demonstrating an average 5.6 log reduction from the raw count due to the combination of microfiltration and pasteurization. For the third objective, pasteurized microfiltered skim milk was stored at each of 4 temperatures (0.1, 2.0, 4.2, and 6.1°C) and the total bacterial count was determined weekly over a 92-d period. At 6 time points in the study, samples were also analyzed for noncasein nitrogen and the decrease in casein as a percentage of true protein was calculated. After 92 d, 50% of samples stored at 6.1°C and 12% of samples stored at 4.2°C exceeded a total bacterial count of 20,000 cfu/mL. No samples stored at 0.1 or 2.0°C reached a detectable bacterial level during the study. When the bacterial count was <1,000 cfu/mL, shelf life was limited because sufficient proteolysis had occurred at 32 d at 6.1°C, 46 d at 4.2°C, 78 d at 2.0°C, and >92 d at 0.1°C to produce a detectable off-flavor in skim milk produced from a raw milk with a 240,000 somatic cell count.