The Quality of Blended Raw Milk in Creameries in South‐west Scotland

The quality of raw blended milk going to manufacture at five creameries in southwest Scotland has been surveyed over a two‐year period. Analyses of gross composition, somatic cell count, numbers and types of bacteria present and the concentration of free fatty acid in the milk show that milk quality was of a high standard. However, extended storage of the milk at 6°C indicated that the bacteria in the milk were actively multiplying and the results showed that extended storage of milk at creameries could seriously jeopardize milk quality. The development of lipolysis on extended storage of the milks was associated with the numbers and types of bacteria present in the milk before storage.