Abstract
Description of the subject. According to Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005, Escherichia coli must be enumerated in raw milk butter before sales. Hygiene of batches is acceptable when a maximum of two samples out of five have levels of E. coli between 10 and 100 cfu·g-1. E. coli is still a threat to the safety of raw milk butter. Objectives. This study aimed to identify sources of E. coli in six farms facing recurrent contaminations in butter. Method. Farms were visited three times between March and May 2021. Surface samples and dairy products samples were collected throughout the process for E. coli enumeration and assessment of potential correlations between equipment contamination and hygienic quality of food products. Results. Two major sources of contamination were identified: the lack of efficacy of cleaning and disinfection practices on milk pipelines, junctions and cream separators, and absence of milk cooling in case of time-lapse of more than 2 h between milking and skimming. The use of lactic acid starters could be a helpful way to control E. coli during cream maturation, in association to adequate good manufacturing practices. Conclusions. Levels of E. coli in the considered raw milk butter batches were really high. A new decision tree is proposed that could help manufacturers and food controllers to improve hygienic quality of raw milk butter.
Highlights
IntroductionButter was one of the first dairy products and was already manufactured 2,000 years before Christ
In Wallonia (Belgium), butter is still produced from raw milk at an artisanal scale
The present study explored potential sources of contamination with E. coli during raw milk butter manufacture, in farms facing recurrent noncompliances regarding food process hygiene criterion
Summary
Butter was one of the first dairy products and was already manufactured 2,000 years before Christ. In Wallonia (Belgium), butter is still produced from raw milk at an artisanal scale. During a survey performed in 2016, 211 producers of raw milk butter were identified (El-Hajjaji et al, 2019). Manufacture of artisanal butter differs from continuous production in larger factories (Deosarjar et al, 2016). After separation from skimmed milk, containers are filled with cream for maturation, with or without addition of starters. Both physical and biological maturations occur, modifying cream texture and physicochemical characteristics (Ceylan & Ozcan 2020; Panchal et al, 2021). Time of maturation was comprised between two and more than seven days All these factors resulted in somewhat variation and typicity of artisanal butter. Butter is washed to remove buttermilk, before shaping and packaging
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