Influence of raw milk quality on processed dairy products: How do raw milk quality test results relate to product quality and yield?

Abstract

This article provides an overview of the influence of raw milk quality on the quality of processed dairy products and offers a perspective on the merits of investing in quality. Dairy farmers are frequently offered monetary premium incentives to provide high-quality milk to processors. These incentives are most often based on raw milk somatic cell and bacteria count levels well below the regulatory public health-based limits. Justification for these incentive payments can be based on improved processed product quality and manufacturing efficiencies that provide the processor with a return on their investment for high-quality raw milk. In some cases, this return on investment is difficult to measure. Raw milks with high levels of somatic cells and bacteria are associated with increased enzyme activity that can result in product defects. Use of raw milk with somatic cell counts >100,000cells/mL has been shown to reduce cheese yields, and higher levels, generally >400,000 cells/mL, have been associated with textural and flavor defects in cheese and other products. Although most research indicates that fairly high total bacteria counts (>1,000,000 cfu/mL) in raw milk are needed to cause defects in most processed dairy products, receiving high-quality milk from the farm allows some flexibility for handling raw milk, which can increase efficiencies and reduce the risk of raw milk reaching bacterial levels of concern. Monitoring total bacterial numbers in regard to raw milk quality is imperative, but determining levels of specific types of bacteria present has gained increasing importance. For example, spores of certain spore-forming bacteria present in raw milk at very low levels (e.g., <1/mL) can survive pasteurization and grow in milk and cheese products to levels that result in defects. With the exception of meeting product specifications often required for milk powders, testing for specific spore-forming groups is currently not used in quality incentive programs in the United States but is used in other countries (e.g., the Netherlands).

Growth Capacity of a Novel Potential Probiotic Lactobacillus paracasei K5 Strain Incorporated in Industrial White Brined Cheese as an Adjunct Culture

“…When a milk producing animal suffers from mastitis, the produced milk will have elevated levels of somatic cells and microbial enzymes that can survive pasteurization (Li et al., ; Li, Richoux, Boutinaud, Martin, & Gagnaire, ). High somatic cell counts in initial raw milk can result in low quality dairy products since they occur as an important source of different enzymatic enzymes that could influence the dairy manufacture processes and consequently products quality (Li et al., ; Murphy, Martin, Barbano, & Wiedmann, ; Paixão, Abreu, Richert, & Ruegg, ). The legal threshold of somatic cell counts of milk in dairy industries of the European Union is 4 × 10 5 cells/mL (FAO Legal Office, ).…”

Valores econômicos para as características de produção, funcionais e de fertilidade em sistemas de produção de leite no Sul do Brasil

“…However, the interpretation is different, because the increase in SCC gives a negative economic value, which leads the companies to penalize farmers that supply milk with high SCC. Their increase in milk reflected in lower yield in manufactured dairy products and lower shelf life of these products (Murphy et al, 2016). Another relevant aspect regarding SCC is related to public health issues, because, according to Kunda et al (2016) as SCC increases the likelihood of antibiotic residues in milk being found also increases.…”

“…According to Murphy et al (2016), the SCC increase also causes decrease in milk production and its components, which could contribute to the reduction of the annual profit of the herd. Clinical and subclinical mastitis are related to increased production of SCC in milk (Koeck et al, 2012) and are also causes of involuntary culling of dairy cows (Roelofs et al, 2010) thereby affecting other traits measured in the indices.…”

Evaluation of Milk Composition in Zebu × HF Crossbred Dairy Cows in Different Seasons and Stage of Lactations in Amanuel Town, Ethiopia

“…This author further stated that milk composition traits determine the quality of milk produced by dairy cows and have economic value since dairy producers are paid premium value for milk of higher than average quality or composition. Milk component levels and characteristics are important factors that have a significant effect on dairy product quality and yield [4].…”