Abstract
Milk and dairy products are the most consumed foods. Their quality and safety have a great impact in humans' diet and consequently in their health. The objective of this chapter is to present an overview of the most relevant microorganisms of milk and dairy products. With the purpose of eliminating pathogens and inactivating spoiled related microorganisms, heat-based processes are usually applied. Pasteurization and sterilization, when conveniently designed, are efficient in ensuring food safety from a microbiological point of view. Some regulations and standards related to milk pasteurization were gathered.Non-thermal treatments have emerged as alternatives to the conventional thermal processes, with the aim of reducing the negative impact of the heat in products' organoleptical and nutritional properties. These processes include pulsed electric fields, high pressure processing, ultrasounds and irradiation.It is expected that this chapter will contribute with guided information regarding milk and dairy products processing and its impact in target microorganisms.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Practical food and research |
| Editors | R.M.S. Cruz |
| Publisher | Nova Science Publishers, Inc. |
| Pages | 337-360 |
| Number of pages | 24 |
| Volume | 8 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9781617285066 |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Dec 2011 |
