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Rosemount™ 1408H
Level Transmitter
The new generation of
hygienic level measurement
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July/August 2022 ¦ international-dairy.com · 11
Overcoming cheese challenges
Phage contamination can be extremely problematic for cheese
producers. Different types of phages can be found across the
globe, which can easily transfer through air, equipment or people
– and dairy factories in particular make the ideal environment for
accumulation. Phages work fast; as soon as they find and infect a
bacterial host, they quickly proliferate. And more complicated still,
once phages enter and contaminate an environment, they can survive
for long periods of time – even for decades. For cheese manufacturers,
this can cause significant disruptions to the production
process, and ultimately, affect the sensory properties of the final
products. However, with the right measures in place, phages can
be maintained at safe levels. These solutions, together with a durable
culture rotation plan, can help ensure reliable and consistent
production. As phages are strain-specific, culture rotation –
composed of different phage-unrelated strains with comparable
performance in application – is an essential practice in the dairy
industry. Rotating from one culture to another prevents phages
attacking one specific culture, which may lead the culture to proliferate
and could eventually affect culture performance – ensuring
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cheese production remains consistent.
Phage testing is also widely used in today’s dairies to help detect
phages before they cause complications, helping to prevent
production delays, minimize costly downgrades in cheese quality
and help bolster cheese yield. However, receiving phage testing results
is often a lengthy process. For instance, most dairies routinely
take samples to be analyzed by their culture supplier, where results
can take between five and 10 days.
Phage test kit is easy to use, offering quantitative phage detection
results ‘on the spot’ at several stages during production – without
needing to leave the site. Producers can analyze raw- and normalized
(pasteurized) milk samples and the ingredients used for normalization,
as well as milk samples from the cheese vat after filling
and during fermentation. While for whey, testing can be carried
out during whey separation in the cheese vat, or at a later stage
during cheese production e.g. at the press, as well as in the whey
buffer tank depending on which sample has the most predictive
value for that specific process. As a general rule of thumb, the less
phage pressure there is in a dairy process, the further downstream
in the process the Delvo Phage test kit can best be applied.
By effectively monitoring and managing phages across several
different processes, the test kit acts as an early warning system
for phage problems, allowing producers to take a more proactive,
preventative approach. Through early intervention, cheese producers
can reduce economic losses by preventing waste, minimizing
production slowdowns, and improving sustainability.
DSM’s integrated phage management portfolio also includes
the Delvo Analytics app, a 24/7 platform for phage insights and
data from whey samples. Manufacturers can access insights on
phage results and trends, as well as tailored recommendations on
culture rotations and processes. These solutions, combined with
DSM’s whey testing and culture rotation services, enable cheese
Alternatively, dairies can perform
an in-house analysis using an activity
assay, but this can take anywhere from
four to eight hours. This is usually too
late to prevent the effects of phage
contamination on the performance of
cultures or the duration of the fermentation
process. If the problem is left unaddressed,
this can have a significant
impact. In fact, just one week of phageaffected
cheese production can result
in significant cheese waste and losses
of up to €200,000. It is no surprise that
manufacturers are on the lookout for
a solution that targets phages quickly,
before it affects production.
Advances in testing
Recent innovation in phage testing can
potentially revolutionize how we think
about reliable and consistent cheese
production. DSM’s latest phage testing
kit, for example, can detect phages
within an hour, helping to increase
cheese yield and quality, reduce waste
and boost value in cheese production
by 5-10%. A digital qPCR kit, the Delvo
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