“SHIMUL is Committed to producers welfare through customers delight by adopting continuous improvement and ensures pure and hygienic milk and milk products.”

Quality is total commitment of customer satisfaction, protection and advancement of environment, sustainable development of stakeholders and movement to market leadership. Here in Shivamogga Co-Operative Milk Union at different stages of production the officer from the quality control department keeps verifying the quality of products frequently.”To ensure pure, hygienic milk and milk products through continuous improvement of quality standards.

QUALITY CONTROL

Shivamogga Co-Operative Milk Union is procuring 6.58lakh kgs milk per day. The quality analysis of this huge quantity of milk is being done at different levels like at MPCS, BMC, CC, and at DAIRY level before it is taken for processing. Considering the health point of consumers the FSSAI rules are being complied with the Union. The method involves the basic concept of providing quality MILK to consumer. It has inbuilt mechanism to ensure quality delivery as per law of Land.

The Quality of milk is being maintained by using state of the Art Technology and testing Mechanisms. The Union has Laboratory with required facilities for the analysis of milk and products, Ingredients as per the procedure. The Laboratory is also equipped with packing materials used for milk and milk products. The Union ensures to comply with GMP & GHP practices relevant to the Industry at different level of processing enable us to strengthen the Quality management system.

CHEMICAL QUALITY OF MILK

Milk is the normal mammary secretion derived from complete milking of healthy milk animals. It should be free from colostrums. The presence of all the nutrients in the milk makes it an ideal and complete food. Major constituent of milk are water, lipids, carbohydrates, proteins and minerals. The other are present in low concentration but are vital to human beings.

SAMPLING OF MILK:

After thorough mixing a representative of the entire batch of milk is taken for analysis. The method of mixing of milk is differs depending on the container from which milk is taken for analysis.

PLATFORM TEST

• ORGANOLEPTIC TEST:

This is the basic tool test for milk at the stage of receiving at Dairy /CC. The human organ – Noise & Eye is used to look into any difference in color of milk, presence of extraneous matter. If there is no problem then the milk is passed for acceptance otherwise i.e Milk having foul or abnormal smell or flavor and any abnormal will be deviated as rejected or COB as per the accurance.

• CLOT ON BOILING

This is a quick test to determine on feasibility and the suitability of milk for processing. Clotting of milk on the sides of the test tube or at the bottom indicates poor keeping quality and developed acidity above 0.17%. Such milk will not withstand pasteurization where milk is heated to 72.6?C and held at that temperature for 15 sec.

• SEDIMENT TEST

Sediment test is used as a quantitative measure of indicating the cleanliness of milk with respect to invisible dirt and dust particles in milk.

• ALCOHOL TEST

This test is used for rapid assessment of stability of milk for advanced heat processing, particularly for condensation and sterilization. The test aids in detecting abnormal milk such as colostrums, late lactation milk, milk from animals suffering from mastitis and milk in which the mineral balance has been disturbed.

• ACIDITY

Although titrable acidity is not a true measure of lactic acid present in the milk, it reflects the acidity produced in the milk as a result of bacterial action. Hence, titrable acidity is employed to ascertain the keeping quality and suitability of milk for heat processing.

• DETERMINATION OF ADULTERANTS

The modus of operand of scrupulous elements among products/severs are many to cheat the Dairy Co-Operative Society, general public at large. The Union has well equipped laboratory to plug such inflows to Union by having suitable testing mechanisms at Dairy Co-Operatives levels, BMC, CC and all processing units. By having this facility it strives to supply quality milk and Dairy products to the best satisfaction of general public at large and NANDINI consumers.

• DETERMINATION OF FAT

Commercial value of milk is largely based on its fat content. Therefore, determination of fat content of the milk has special significance in the evaluation of quality of milk. Butyrometric methods are employed for the rapid and routine determination of fat in milk. The commonly used Gerber Butyrometric method depending on the liberation of the fat by the action of sulphuric acid on milk in butyrometer which are then centrifuged to aid the separation of fat.

• ESTIMATION OF SNF

Though gravimetric method is the standard method of estimation of total solids and solids not fat it is not possible to follow this considering the time consumption on routine basis. Where number of samples to be analyzed are many. The estimation of total solids and SNF are generally done by determining the specific gravity of milk with a lactometer, the fat by Gerber method and employing a formula involving specific gravity, fat and constant factor.
Presently we at SHIMUL employees IInd stage BIS formula aimed at assessing SNF/TS contents very nearer to gravimetric method of estimation. The formula is

SNF = (CLR/4) +0.25 X Fat% +0.35

It is KMF network which is relying on this method primarily aimed at transparent quality assessment in all stages of operation.

MICROBIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF MILK

• METHYLENE BLUE REDUCTION TEST

This test is carried out for both raw and pasteurized milk. The time required to reduce the color of the dye methylene blue by the milk sample indicates the microbial load present in that sample. The change in the color appears because the bacteria present in the milk ferment the milk sugar.

 • PHOSPHATASE TEST

This test is carried out for pasteurized milk to see the efficiency of pasteurization. This test is done to determine the milk has been heated adequately during the pasteurization process or not? It is based on the concept that phosphatase is an enzyme which liberates inorganic phosphate from organic compounds which contains phosphates in an ester linkage.

• STANDARD PLATE COUNT

Bacterial count of the milk sample can be estimated by standard plate count technique, this enable us the number of colony forming unit per ml of milk. The clean milk will have very low microbial count than that of collected or handled under unsanitary conditions or improperly refrigerated.