Microbiology

of Raw Milk

Milk Micro florahighly diverse & variable

Designed to provide complete nutrition for growing calves, bovine milk also
provides a highly suitable growth medium for a variety of microorganisms.

Milk is an ideal medium for the growth of many organisms, having high water
content and abundant nutrients, and being nearly neutral pH (6.46.8).

A plentiful supply of food for energy is available in the form of milk sugar
(lactose), milk fat, citrate, and nitrogenous compounds (proteins, amino
acids, ammonia, urea and other non-protein nitrogenous compounds).

Thus above situation supports and encourages a microbial ecology that can
be both diverse and highly variable; One can find numerous different
organisms in raw milk.

Grouping of raw milk flora

Microorganisms present in milk can be grouped into two main groups: pathogenic and
spoilage organisms, although some may play a dual role (e.g. Bacillus cereus).

Pathogenic organisms are those capable of inducing food poisoning, thus posing a
threat to public health.

By virtue of their elaborated enzymes (e.g. protease, peptidase, lipase, esterase,

oxidase, polymerase, B-galactosidase), spoilage organisms are capable of hydrolysing
milk components such as protein, fat and lactose in order to yield compounds suitable
for their growth. Such reactions can lead to spoilage of milk, manifested as off-flavors
and odours, and changes in texture and appearance.

The types of organisms present in raw milk are influenced by temperatures and time of
storage as well as methods of handling during and after milking.

Psychrotrophs (chilling killer):

Growth at around 3-7 o C chilled-milk spoiler,
mostly gram negative rods (GNRs)

Pseudomonas fluorescens: Dominating psychrotrophs, mostly

strains are both lipolytic and caseinolyticrancidity and
bitterness, heat resistant enzymes, bypass pasteurization?)

Pseudomonas putida

Pseudomonas fragi

Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Pseudomonas putrefaciens

Pseudomonas cepacia

Other Important Psychrotrophs-i

(GNRs)

Enterobacteriaceae-GNRs-coliforms) (5-33% psychro-flora), optimum

30 C but adopted refrigeration temp), ferment lactose with acid
and gas production.
Enterobacter,

Klebsiella,

Escherichia spp (occasionally)Salmonella

Other psychrotrophs: They, like pseudomonads, are gram-negative rods capable

of growing at low temperature .

Flavobacterium,
Achromobacter,
Aeromonas,
Alcaligenes,
Chromobacterium.

Other Important Psychrotrophs-ii:

(GPBs)

Spore formers: 20 -40 C optimum range, hence as psychrotrops they

have longer generation and lag phase.

Bacillus spp: contamination levels, although variable, are found up to

105 cfu/mL.

Of the Bacillus spp. found in milk, B. licheniformis, B. cereus, B.

subtilis and B. megaterium are most commonly isolated.

B. cereus is a common contaminant of raw milks , being present in over

80% of raw milk.

Clostridium spp. are present in raw milk at such low levels that enrichment
and most probable number techniques must be used for quantification.
Populations in raw milk vary seasonally.

Spoilage organism
Mesophiles: (Optimum growth at around 37 - 42o C---& Thermophile)

Spoilage of raw milk resulting from growth of acid-producing fermentative

lactic acid bacteria occurs when storage temperatures are sufficiently high for
these microorganisms to outgrow psychrotrophic bacteria or when product
composition is inhibitory to gram-negative aerobic organisms. This particularly
occurs in countries where milk is still stored on farm and transported in
unrefrigerated containers. Spoilage can occur, especially in hot weather,
before milk is delivered to the factory.
Streptococcus,
Enterococcus,
Lactobacillus,
Leuconostoc,
Lactococcus and Pediococcus are involved.
Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis is the main species responsible for spoilage
of raw milk at 1037C, being able to produce acid (about 0.25%, mostly lactic
acid but also small amounts of acetic and propionic acids) to cause milk to
sour.
Many are member of dairy starter culture.

Pathogenic Microflora

Numerous milk borne pathogens have been isolated from raw milk. The
prevalence of these varies considerably, depending on geographical area,
season, farm size, number of animals on farm, hygiene and farm management
practices.

Although the growth of these pathogens in milk is known to be inhibited by

cooling and competing non-pathogenic microorganisms, outbreaks of illness
caused by Campylobacter jejuni, Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli,
Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella spp. and Yersinia
enterocolitica have been reported following consumption of raw milk.

Pathogenic organisms in raw milk are of two types: those that are involved in
bovine mastitis and those that externally contaminate milk.

The bacteria causing mastitis, which vary geographically and with

different animal husbandry practices, include S. aureus,
Streptococcus agalactiae, Str. dysgalactiae, Str. uberis, Listeria
spp. and E. coli.
The staphylococci are of concern to the dairy industry and public
health as some of them, particularly S. aureus, produce heat-stable
enterotoxins that can cause food poisoning. Str. agalactiae causes
bacteraemia and meningitis, which are potentially fatal to infected
infants.
Salmonellae and thermoduric Campylobacter strains are the most
common pathogenic bacteria from sources external to the udder.
Salmonellae, particularly, continue to be a major concern for the
dairy industry because they have been implicated in numerous
outbreaks of illness.
The emergence of multiple antibiotic-resistant strains of
Salmonella ser. typhimurium DT104 should be of greater concern
to public health authorities since this organism is reportedly
resistant to antibiotics commonly used in medical and veterinary
practice.