Correlation Analysis of Microbial Contamination and Alkaline Phosphatase Activity in Raw Milk and Dairy Products

Zixin Peng, Ying Li, Lin Yan, Shuran Yang and Dajin Yang ()
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Zixin Peng: Research Unit of Food Safety, Chinese Academy of Medical Science (2019RU014), NHC Key Laborarory of Food Safety Risk Assessment, China National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment, Beijing 100022, China
Ying Li: Research Unit of Food Safety, Chinese Academy of Medical Science (2019RU014), NHC Key Laborarory of Food Safety Risk Assessment, China National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment, Beijing 100022, China
Lin Yan: Research Unit of Food Safety, Chinese Academy of Medical Science (2019RU014), NHC Key Laborarory of Food Safety Risk Assessment, China National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment, Beijing 100022, China
Shuran Yang: Research Unit of Food Safety, Chinese Academy of Medical Science (2019RU014), NHC Key Laborarory of Food Safety Risk Assessment, China National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment, Beijing 100022, China
Dajin Yang: Research Unit of Food Safety, Chinese Academy of Medical Science (2019RU014), NHC Key Laborarory of Food Safety Risk Assessment, China National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment, Beijing 100022, China

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 3, 1-9

Abstract: Microbial contamination in raw milk and dairy products can detrimentally affect product quality and human health. In this study, the aerobic plate count, aerobic Bacillus abundance, thermophilic aerobic Bacillus abundance, and alkaline phosphatase activity were determined in 435 raw milk, 451 pasteurized milk, and 617 sterilized milk samples collected from 13 Chinese provinces (or municipalities). Approximately 9.89% and 2.22% of raw milk and pasteurized milk samples exceeded the threshold values for the aerobic plate count, respectively. The proportions of aerobic Bacillus in raw milk, pasteurized milk, and sterilized milk were 54.02%, 14.41%, and 1.30%, respectively. The proportions of thermophilic aerobic Bacillus species were 7.36% in raw milk and 4.88% in pasteurized milk samples, and no bacteria were counted in sterilized milk. Approximately 36.18% of raw milk samples contained >500,000 mU/L of alkaline phosphatase activity, while 9.71% of pasteurized milk samples contained >350 mU/L. For raw milk, there was a positive correlation between the aerobic plate count, the aerobic Bacillus abundance, and the alkaline phosphatase activity, and there was a positive correlation between the aerobic Bacillus abundance, the thermophilic aerobic Bacillus count, and the alkaline phosphatase activity. For pasteurized milk, there was a positive correlation between the aerobic plate count, the aerobic Bacillus abundance, and the thermophilic aerobic Bacillus count; however, the alkaline phosphatase activity had a negative correlation with the aerobic plate count, the aerobic Bacillus abundance, and the thermophilic aerobic Bacillus abundance. These results facilitate the awareness of public health safety issues and the involvement of dairy product regulatory agencies in China.

Keywords: microbial contamination; alkaline phosphatase activity; raw milk; pasteurized milk; sterilized milk; aerobic Bacillus; thermophilic aerobic Bacillus (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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