The most important change agent impacting the lab is the decline in milk consumption and the rise of specialty dairy products. One of our colleagues compares milk to crude oil. "When it was discovered in Pennsylvania during the 19th Century, oil was burned in kerosene lamps as a light source. But when electric incandescent bulbs were developed, we learned to use oil in different ways - for gasoline, jet fuel, and petrochemicals." Milk is moving in the same direction. As consumption declines, companies are developing specialty dairy products, such as gourmet ice cream, yogurt, and specialty drinks, which appeal to a more sophisticated consumer palate.

Dairy labs also are facing stricter government health and safety regulations. Product specifications are tighter as consumers place a higher value on taste, consistency, and appearance. Milk producers want clean, bacteria-free milk for long shelf life. And pricing pressures, coupled with the need to meet profit expectations, make cost reduction a never-ending journey.

These business drivers are placing new and greater demands on laboratory testing procedures and analytical instrumentation. The explosion in specialty dairy products means test instruments must be increasingly more versatile and precise. Complex product formulas require analyzers that can consistently (and continuously) decompose wide varieties of ingredients. Government proof-of-formula and bacteria count regulations require new levels of instrument accuracy. And cost reduction pressures drive demands for higher lab productivity, less equipment maintenance, and exact measurement of fat and water content.

For example, productivity improvement is driving laboratories toward fewer manual processes. Instruments are incorporating technology to offer walk-up and push-button automation. Today, technicians can place samples in the equipment, push a button, and receive instant analysis of complex products. And the results are recorded automatically in the laboratory's information management system. Instruments are incorporating modular designs that are easily modified for quality assurance testing, such as analysis for fat, added water, completeness of pasteurization, and bacteria detection applications. And reliability is improving dramatically as processors demand higher asset availability and reduced maintenance and calibration.

There are four common tests that represent the bulk of the work in most cooperative, regulatory, and dairy company laboratories. They include Cryoscopy Testing, Pasteurization Testing, Chemical Component Analysis, and Microbiological Profiling. All are in transition as they incorporate new technology to meet tomorrow's business demands.

Cryoscopy

In the future, cryoscopes could be developed to perform real-time, in-line testing, both for incoming raw milk and finished products. In-line equipment will speed up flow and reduce cost. In addition, data will be fed directly into the plant information system allowing more efficient batch validation and real-time adjustment of ingredient levels.

Pasteurization Testing

Over the past 60 years, the industry has used colorimetric tests to determine proper pasteurization. This manual inspection method is based primarily on a technician's subjective interpretation of the results. In 1990, a new Rapid Enzymatic Assay (test) was designed to confirm pasteurization. This test involved the use of an automated instrument and a fluoremetric assay. Known as Alkaline Phosphatase testing (ALP), the instrument interprets the results instead of a technician, dramatically reducing the evaluation process from 90 minutes to three minutes. ALP testing, unlike the colorimetric method, can be used to confirm pasteurization of many different products including bovine, sheep, and goat milk, flavored and cultured products, and cheeses. (Source: Milk Industry International - December 2000)

This test is revolutionizing the way the industry checks for pasteurization. Dairy processors are enjoying higher precision and reproducibility and a ten-fold sensitivity improvement. This enhances process improvement and troubleshooting while allowing immediate process validation following maintenance. The ALP method has been accepted in Europe as a reference method and dairy producers are beginning to implement the equipment. In the U.S., the test's accuracy and sensitivity resulted in the FDA lowering its pasteurization acceptance criteria from 500 to 350 mU/l of ALP activity. By lowering the criteria with better technology, plants are able to improve HACCP programs and advance the cause of food safety to protect consumers.

Component Analysis Testing

Dairy labs use two types of instruments to perform these tests. An analyzer, which utilizes optical filters, is a cost-effective way to test the chemical makeup of fluid milk and simple dairy products. A Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) analyzer can evaluate a much wider range of products, including complex recipes such as yogurt drinks, multi-flavored ice creams, and cottage cheeses.

The filter analyzer is accurate and reliable, but cannot test as wide a variety of products. It does a great job determining the basic composition of milk and is used by hundreds of labs. In the future, technology and innovative design will allow higher signal-to-noise ratio providing even more accurate results.

However with the explosion in specialty dairy products, labs are moving to highly versatile FTIR technology. The FTIR analyzer, with its sensitive infrared spectrometer, is accurate enough to evaluate the most complex products and compounds. But these systems are complicated and have required significant service contracts and frequent calibration. In the future, we will see instruments with higher optical and bench stability. Already, some systems are incorporating highly robust commercial benches that are built for rigorous aerospace applications. These optical systems require little maintenance and much less calibration. Tomorrow's FTIR analyzers will be easier to use, generate higher throughput, and significantly reduce the total cost of ownership.

Microbiological Profile

In the near future, manual visual assessment will be replaced with automated colony counting technology. With inspection rates of up to four plates in 40 seconds, these high-throughput units will slash inspection time by more than 400%. And test results will be instantly recorded in the lab's information system, eliminating the chance for transcription errors and maintaining virtually 100% data integrity.

The End of the Lab?

Each day, dairy labs around the globe are testing continuously to meet content, quality, health, and recipe standards throughout the production process - from the time the truck unloads raw milk to the packing of the finished product. Failure to perform these analyses quickly and accurately can mean production disruptions, poor quality, or even consumer injury. As profit targets, government regulations, and consumer tastes continue to change, keep your eye on the dairy lab and watch it respond to tomorrow's business challenges.

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