In order to ensure high quality milk to the public, a quick a accurate measure of shelf life is needed. There are a number of bacteriological variables involved with determining shelf life and no single test measures all the possible factors involved. That is why I & A Lab has developed a system in its approach to this problem. By using several test a reliable prediction of shelf life can be made. This testing system will enable you to ensure that a high quality product is provided to your customers.

In order to provide you with the most accurate results possible three samples are needed from each production run, one from the beginning, middle, and end. This will help in determining if the contamination is in the finished product or introduced into the finished product sometime during the production run. This type of contamination can come from a variety of sources like equipment, line worker, and the processing environment.

Coliform Bacteria - The presence of coliforms in pasteurized milk can lead to serious problems. In general their presence is due to improper pasteurization or to recontamination caused by unclean equipment. In addition to pointing out sanitary problems, coliform bacteria may cause defects in milk. These defects may include bitterness and unpleasant odors.

Standard Plate Count - The shelf life of pasteurized milk cannot be predicted by traditional standard plate count methods. This is unfortunate because many of these bacteria can affect the shelf life of pasteurized milk. The importance of this is that the storage temperature in retail outlets and in the home of consumers may not be low enough to prevent the grow of these bacteria, but the may have a negative effect in the quality of your milk if allowed to grow. At I & A Lab we have done research and collect database that allow us to relate initial plate counts to an estimate of shelf life. This method compensate for the limitations of predicting shelf life with standard plate counts methods.

Pseudomonas - Pseudomonas is a bacteria of great importance in the dairy industry. This bacteria grows very well at low temperatures and has a major impact on the shelf life of pasteurized milk. Many of the common defects in the flavor and aroma of milk are due to the grow of this family of bacteria. The presence of Pseudomonas in pasteurized milk is almost always due to post pasteurization contamination. This can be from improper sanitary practices. Pseudomonas can also be present in the water used to clean equipment in the factory. There have also been several studies that show that Pseudomonas can adhere to stainless steel surface. By using the Pseudomonas count an accurate determination of shelf life can be made.

It is the goal of I & A Lab to provide you with testing methods that will unable you to provide your customers with the highest quality product possible. We believe that this testing procedure will allow you to reach this goal.