Dairy Foods Symposium: Advances in Spore Control Throughout the US Dairy Value Chain

摘要

The demand for milk and dairy ingredients is growing globally. To capitalizeon this opportunity, US dairy exporters must become a supplierof choice to end-users in international markets. Spore-levels are top ofmind for end-users that will manufacture ultra-high temperature (UHT)and shelf stable beverages, foods and nutritional formulas, because thepresence of spores limits end-users’ ability to use ingredients in thoseapplications. The ability to control spore levels is crucial for ingredientsuppliers targeting high-value applications. The US Dairy ExportCouncil (USDEC) and National Dairy Council (NDC) teamed up to leadan effort to enhance the U.S. dairy industry’s capabilities to consistentlyproduce milk powders that meet international customer specifications.Our initiative has advanced knowledge of best practices and deliveredsolutions for spore-control on the farm, in the plant, and during cleaning.In addition, we have gained a better understanding of the impact ofspore-testing methodologies. Our research efforts have been amplifiedby the support from other farmer-funded state and regional organizationsand industry partners. The transfer of technical knowledge catalyzedby this initiative led to the adoption of new practices, upgrades to currentfacilities, and major capital investments to build new milk powderplants. All these efforts have increased the US dairy industry capacity tosupply greater volumes of low-spore milk powder to the global market.This talk will focus on why low-spore dairy ingredients are importantfor export markets and the specific objectives related to the USDECNDCmilk powder quality enhancement program. This talk will alsosummarize some of the key findings from various projects that weresupported through this initiative.