Short communication: Postpasteurization hold temperatures of 4 or 6°C, but not raw milk holding of 24 or 72 hours, affect bacterial outgrowth in pasteurized fluid milk

As fluid milk processors continue to reduce microbial spoilage in fluid milk through improved control of postpasteurization contamination and psychrotolerant sporeformer outgrowth, it is necessary to identify strategies to further improve the quality and extend the shelf life of fluid milk products that are high-temperature, short-time pasteurized. Solutions that optimize product quality, and are economically feasible, are of particular interest to the dairy industry. To this end, this study examined the effects of raw milk holding time and temperature of pasteurized milk storage over shelf life on bacterial growth. In 3 independent replicates, raw milk was stored for 24 and 72 h before pasteurization at 76°C for 25 s and then incubated at 3 different storage conditions: (1) 4°C for 21 d; (2) 4°C for the first 48 h, then 6°C for the duration of the 21-d shelf life; or (3) 6°C for 21 d. Total bacteria counts were assessed initially and on d 7, 14, and 21. No substantial difference in bacterial growth over shelf life was observed between samples processed from raw milk held for 24 versus 72 h. A significantly lower bacterial load was seen at d 21 after pasteurization in samples held at 4°C, versus 4°C for the first 48 h followed by 6°C for the duration of the 21-d shelf life and samples held at 6°C for 21 d. This work demonstrates the importance of maintaining control of the fluid milk cold chain throughout postpasteurization, transportation, and retail storage on fluid milk microbial quality.