However many factors increase bacterial count substantially such as atmosphere, dirty and poor health udder, unclean utensils or unhealthy cows.
Nevertheless, contamination from soil, faces or bedding is also a potential source of food poisoning bacteria.
In order to reduce or eliminate contamination by spoilage and pathogenic organisms from farm to the dairy plant, the cow’s teat and surrounding udder area and all utensils and equipment used during milking and processing should be properly cleaned and sanitized.
Milk residue left on equipment contact surfaces support the growth of a variety of bacteria such as Micrococcus, Streptococcus and Bacillus spp.
Having limited bacterial contamination during milking, it is essential that contamination from equipment situated between the cow and the refrigerated storage tank is kept to a minimum.
Cooling the milk also one of the measures to reduce the bacterial contamination. Bacteria grow and multiply rapidly in warm milk. Cool milk to 16 C within 20 minutes and to 4 C within 90 minutes after it is drawn from the cow will preventing bacterial growth in milk.
A variety of sources of contamination also exist in the processing plant. Personnel and air probably contribute little to the contamination of pasteurized milks.
One of the worst bacterial contamination involved Snow Brand Milk Products Company in Japan, which infected more than thirteen thousand people and led to closure of thirty factories across the nation.
Bacterial contamination in milk
