QUALITY ASSURANCE AND SAFETY IN LIQUID MILK PRODUCTION

Milk safety and quality assurance has become an area of priority and necessity for consumers, retailers, manufacturers and regulators. Changing global patterns of food production, international trade and public expectations for health protection have created a huge demand for food safety. Globally, the incidence of food borne diseases is increasing and international food trade is getting disrupted by frequent disputes over food safety and quality requirements. The components of milk and its physical and chemical properties provide a favorable milieu for the growth and multiplication of microorganisms, thus causing milk spoilage and transmission of disease in Humans. Hence, it is necessary to study the sources of microbial contamination during collection of raw milk, processing pasteurized milk, knowing the effect of pasteurization and predicting the shelf life and sensory attributes of refrigerated pasteurized milk and the quality of market milk sold in retail outlets. The analysis used in the study should help to shed some light on the concept of hygienic production of milk. This may be especially useful to professionals in the fields food safety and quality management.