![]() ![]() An amalgam of different factors, such as composition, udder health and hygiene, are assessed to determine the quality of raw milk ( O’Brien et al., 2009). However, it can subsequently become contaminated via different sources such as the external surfaces of animals or from other environments during milking, transport, storage, or processing. Milk present in healthy udder cells is sterile ( Tolle, 1980). The continued control of Bacillus and related spore-forming bacteria will be key in this regard. Therefore, quality issues affecting the dairy industry will need to be assessed and addressed to maintain product quality and safety. However, to match up with the high-scale production, it is essential for processors to ensure that processing capacity meets the expected increased milk supply without comprising on quality and customer expectations. Consequently, with the favorable trade in milk and more prominent consumption of dairy products across households, it is anticipated that dairy ingredients will be generated on a much larger scale to meet these growing demands. The European Commission, in its ‘milk package’ provisions, has already anticipated that there will be a potential increase in milk production, especially across quota-bound countries such as Ireland, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Austria, Poland, and France ( European Commission, 2014). ![]() With the abolition of milk quotas in April 2015, it is expected that milk producers across the EU will be facing new and demanding economic challenges. In 2013, according to the European Commission milk statistics, the estimated average milk yield across the EU-28 was 6.411 ton/head, with Denmark, Sweden and Finland having the highest average milk yield per cow (Eurostat website, 2013 – ). Meanwhile, in the European Union, raw milk, and dairy products were valued at 53.1 billion EUR, which accounts for 14% of the total value of the EU agricultural output in 2011 ( Marquer, 2013). Taking into account that dairy production has steadily been growing since 2000 (International Dairy Federation, 2013), it is not surprising that the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) estimated global raw milk production to be worth 292 billion USD in 2011, while trade in dairy products (such as cream, butter, cheese, whey, buttermilk, skim and whole milk powders, casein, yogurt, lactose, and infant formula) represented 69 billion USD. According to the International Dairy Federation (IDF), 748.7 million tons of raw milk was produced in 2011, of which cow’s milk accounted for 620.7 million tons. The dairy industry is a dynamic global business, which plays an important role in the sustainability of the economies of many countries. In this review, we highlight the problems caused by these microorganisms, and discuss issues relating to their prevalence, monitoring thereof and control with respect to the dairy industry. Common controlling approaches include specific cleaning-in-place processes, chemical and biological biocides and other novel methods. Hence, adequate monitoring and control measures are essential to prevent spoilage and ensure consumer safety. Indeed, previous studies have highlighted that these microorganisms are highly prevalent in dead ends, corners, cracks, crevices, gaskets, valves and the joints of stainless steel equipment used in the dairy manufacturing plants. These single or multiple-species biofilms become a reservoir of spoilage microorganisms and a cycle of contamination can be initiated. Aerobic spore-forming bacteria, such as those from the genera Sporosarcina, Paenisporosarcina, Brevibacillus, Paenibacillus, Geobacillus and Bacillus, are a particular concern in this regard as they are able to survive industrial pasteurization and form biofilms within pipes and stainless steel equipment. Bacterial contaminants can cause disease, or spoilage of milk and its secondary products. The quality of milk is monitored via somatic cell counts and total bacterial counts, with prescribed regulatory limits to ensure quality and safety. Milk produced in udder cells is sterile but due to its high nutrient content, it can be a good growth substrate for contaminating bacteria. 4College of Science, Engineering and Food Science, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.3APC Microbiome Institute, Cork, Ireland.2School of Microbiology, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.1Teagasc Food Research Centre, Cork, Ireland. ![]()
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