Oğuz Gürsoy

Potential of nitrogen gas (N2) to control psychrotrophs and mesophiles in raw milk

Pure N(2) gas was introduced in the headspace of test bottles containing raw milk that were then stored at either 6.0, 7.0, or 12.0 degrees C. Treatment with N(2) significantly reduced the growth of total bacteria, and the growth of bacterial subgroups such as psychrotrophs, enterobacteria, protease- and lipase-producing bacteria, and Listeria spp, and completely excluded Bacillus cereus growth on MYP plates. The inhibitory effect was maximal at 6.0 degrees C, and bacterial growth could be halted at this temperature for 11 days. At 12.0 degrees C, N(2) was able to inhibit growth during the first 48 h. No alarming or undesirable effects, such as the excessive growth of anaerobes or lactobacilli, were observed during the course of the study. The same treatments also halted the growth of one bacterial isolate in pure culture that expressed multiresistance to antibiotics. The continuous flushing of raw milk with pure N(2) gas in a so-called open system that allows gas exchanges with the environment positively impacted the microbiological quality of the raw milk at a temperature range of 6.0-12.0 degrees C. This procedure should therefore be considered as a possible complementary method to refrigeration in controlling bacterial growth and the spoilage potential of both psychrotrophs and mesophiles in raw milk.

Improved Storage of Cold Raw Milk by Continuous Flushing of N2 Gas Separated from Compressed Air: A Pilot Scale Study

Nitrogen gas (N2) produced by a gas generator unit from compressed air was continuously introduced in a tank of 170 L, that contained up to 110 L raw milk kept at 5.5±0.4 oC with an ice-water cooling unit. N2 gas was introduced in the tank at a fixed flow rate ranging from 4 L to 14 L per min, whether flushed in the head space of the raw milk tank or bubbled directly into raw milk. In the tested conditions, the combination bubbling for 6 h followed by continuous flushing of N2, up to seven days, gave the best results, since the bacterial growth in raw milk could be retarded significantly. An increase of one log unit of the total bacteria required about 2.5-fold longer time under the N2 gas flushing compared to the control (no N2 gas treatment). The treatments also reduced phospholipases (PLs)-producing and Bacillus cereus type bacteria. The results obtained at a pilot plant scale demonstrate the potential of this technology, that could be applied in order to improve quality and safety of raw milk, during prolonged storage along the cold chain.

The effect of using different probiotic cultures on conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) concentration and fatty acid composition of white pickle cheese

Pickle white cheeses were produced from whole milk with five different probiotic cultures (Enterococcus faecium, Lactobacillus paracasei, Bifidobacterium longum, Bifidobacterium bifidum and Lactobacillus acidophilus). Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) content of cheeses ranged from 3.52 to 3.92 mg/g. Probiotic differences and storage process have not affected the CLA contents of the samples statistically. There was no correlation between the CLA content of all probiotic cheeses and saturated fatty acids. A positive correlation between the CLA and linoleic acid contents of L. paracasei and L. acidophilus cheeses was observed.

Exclusion of phospholipases (PLs)-producing bacteria in raw milk flushed with nitrogen gas (N2)

Prolonged cold storage of raw milks favors the growth of psychrotrophs, which produce heat-resistant exoenzymes of considerable spoilage potential; the bacterial proteases and lipases affect raw milk quality; among them phospholipases (PLs) may target the milk fat globule. More importantly, bacterial PLs are key virulence factors for numerous species. Two studies examined the use of nitrogen (N(2)) gas and examined its effect on psychrotrophs, proteases and lipase producers when the milk was stored in closed vessels; however, the effect on PLs producers is unknown. Here we show that by considering an open system the PLs producers were sooner or later excluded in raw milk (whereas the PLs producers in the non-treated controls culminated at 10(8)CFU/ml), by effective gas treatments that bring oxygen (O(2)) levels in milk lower than 0.1ppm. No increase of the PLs producers among the anaerobes was noticed during the course of the experiments. In the experiments performed at 6.0 degrees C, the delay after which the PLs producers were no longer detectable seemed independent of the initial level of PLs producers in raw milk (lower than 10(3)CFU/ml). We anticipate that flushing pure N(2) gas in raw milk tanks, considered as open systems, along the cold chain of raw milk storage and transportation, may be an additional technique to control psychrotrophs, and may also constitute an interesting perspective for limiting their spoilage and pathogenic potential in food materials in general.