Extending the shelf life of pasteurized milk through microfiltration and implementation of a comprehensive safety and quality management system: case study at the farm and dairy plant

. Pasteurized and homogenized milk was microfiltered through a 0.8 or 0.45 μm pore-size membrane to produce ESL whole milk and ESL partly skimmed (2%) milk, respectively, resulting in further improvement of refrigerated shelf life to about 2 weeks and 3 weeks, respectively. ESL 2% milk showed a significantly lower TCC compared to ESL whole milk, and the latter also had a lower TCC than pasteurized whole milk. Both ESL milk products showed negligible denaturation of α-lactalbumin and β-lactoglobulin. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of combining microfiltration with on-farm and in-plant safety management systems for ensuring the safety and quality of ESL pasteurized milk.