Published Paper Details:

The preservation method achieved by dairy industry is storage under refrigeration condition. Many dairy products are stored at refrigeration temperature by wholesale dealer and retailers but at this refrigeration temperature, milk and milk products allow the growth of psychrotrophic organisms. Considerable variations in incidence of psychrotrophs in fresh raw milk have been reported by different observers. Some difference may be regional or seasonal and some are associated with the methods of cleaning and disinfection of equipments in dairy. The aim of the present study was to monitor culturable mesophilic and psychrotrophic communities in fermented milk products collected from nine dairies included in Nasik division, that may influence milk and fermented milk products shelf-life. Enumeration of bacteria from these samples showed the presence of mesophilic as well as psychrotrophic bacteria in each of the sample and there was a considerable variation in mesophilic and psychrotrophic bacterial content amongst the samples. Chemical examination was carried out to decide the nutritive quality of fermented milk products. The chemical examination of fermented milk products includes determination of pH, acidity (in terms of lactic acid), fat, total solids, SNF, proteins, sucrose and ash contents. Chemical contents of all fermented milk products were within the range mentioned by Bureau of Indian Standards.