Detection of pathogenic bacteria in Irish buffalo milk using rapid microbiological detection methods

Abstract

Milk is one of the most nutritious drinks available, providing a great source of vitamins and minerals in one medium. Although cow milk is the most popular throughout the world, the second most popular is buffalo milk. Especially Asia is mass consumer of buffalo milk. However, with so much focus being placed on the nutritious value of milk, there has been less emphasis on the bacteria found in the milk; both naturally occurring and pathogenic. A new trend has surfaced of late with people drinking raw milk, claiming it has greater benefits and that more is gained from the milk before it is pasteurized. However, with the increase of this trend come more reports of illness caused by the pathogenic bacteria found contaminating the milk. The most frequent of these are Salmonella spp., Listeria spp. and Escherichia coli. The detection of these pathogens is essential to prevent any illness and allow the product to be sold for human consumption. The methods used traditionally to detect pathogens are time consuming and take a lot of work to begin and continue. Therefore, for this study, redox potential methods and RTPCR were used to examine the raw milk and cheese samples. All samples were investigated with control standard methods too as a comparison. The MicroTester system, developed by the Department of Food Hygiene, University of Veterinary Medicine, was used to detect redox potential changes caused by the pathogens.