Milk

One of the most important staple foods is milk. It is the basic component used to make cheese, cottage cheese and yogurt, and is an important ingredient in a number of other products such as chocolate.

The dairy industry began 10,000 years ago, and today dairy cows supply the majority of milk in Europe and North America. However, the demand for milk and dairy products from sheep and goats is increasing, particularly as specialty products for “foodies”. The nutrient content of milk is very high, consisting of proteins, vitamins, and carbohydrates that are dissolved or emulsified in milk fat. This nutrient content will differ in milk depending on the feed, age, lactation, health status, activity-level, and attitude of the animal.

Currently, there is no global body regulating milk. However, the EU and individual countries regulate the protein and fat content as well as the microbiological aspects of milk. The use of veterinary drugs (antibiotics) and the total microbial count in milk greatly determine whether milk is allowed to be processed.

During processing, raw milk is generally pasteurized (72 -75 ° C for 15-30 seconds). This is the most important step to kill disease-causing microbes such as Streptococcus and Staphylococcus. Pasteurized milk is then bottled and distributed or processed into other dairy products. Pathogenic bacteria may survive pasteurization, or be introduced afterwards, contaminating the final product.

Of particular concern to consumers are diseases transmissible from dairy products to humans, such as:

• Listeriosis
• Salmonellosis
• Campylobacter infection
• Brucellosis
• EHEC

In June 2009, several unfortunate deaths resulted from consumers eating contaminated cheese purchased from supermarkets in Austria and Germany. The source of the cheese contamination was determined to be bacteria of the genus Listeria. To rapidly detect Listeria in food products within 24 hours of sampling, BIOTECON Diagnostics developed the foodproof Listeria monocytogenes Detection Kit and the foodproof Listeria Genus Detection Kit.

As of January 2006, baby food and special diet products for hospitals are governed by Commission Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005. This law strictly enforces monitoring these foods for the bacterial family Enterobacteriaceae, particularly the genera Salmonella and Cronobacter. To meet these demands, BIOTECON Diagnostics created the combined real-time PCR kit: foodproof Enterobacteriaceae plus E. sakazakii (Cronobacter spp.) Detection Kit. This kit was approved by MicroVal in 2010 and allows easy detection of all Enterobacteriaceae genera and specifically identifies E. sakazakii (Cronobacter spp.) within 24 hours of sampling. BIOTECON Diagnostics also produces and markets rapid pathogen detection kits for the identification of Salmonella, Brucella, Campylobacter, E. coli and Shigella, and E. coli O157.

With knowledge, experience, and an extensive portfolio of pathogen detection kits, like Salmonella, Brucella, Campylobacter, E. coli & Shigela and E. coli O157, BIOTECON Diagnostics is an ideal business partner for fast, easy, and reliable solutions for analyzing your high quality products.

Please contact us.