Pasteurized milk: A highlight on potential sources of contamination by aerobic spore-forming bacteria
Khadidja Medjahdi, Nassima Didouh, Ricardo Araújo
Abstract
The microbial quality of raw milk and the subsequent risks for contamination and recontamination of pasteurized milk are today major reasons for early spoilage of milk. Aerobic spore-forming bacteria are major contributors in milk spoilage triggering large economic losses. Spore resistance to pasteurization and spore ability to grow in refrigerated milk and produce lytic enzymes can cause milk defects and shorten its shelf-life. The objectives of this review are to identify the pathways for bacterial spores’ introduction into raw and pasteurized milk from the farm to the dairy factory, to review the mechanisms of spores resistance and persistence in the dairy environment, and to discuss mitigation and monitoring strategies for spores’ removal from milk and dairy plants which would certainly help controlling spore-forming bacteria in dairy industries.