A Systems Approach to Improve Shelf Life of Organic Dairy Products for Domestic and Export Markets
Project Director
Martin Wiedman
Year Funded
2019
Award Number
2019-51300-30242
Funded Institution
Cornell University
Grant Program
OREI (Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative)
USDA NIFA Report (alternate)
Project Overview
Spore-forming bacteria occur abundantly in soil, plants, and farm ecosystems, can survive harsh conditions including pasteurization, and cause spoilage in milk and quality defects in hard cheeses. This project documented the occurrence of bacterial spores in organic dairy production from farm to finished product, evaluated intervention strategies for reducing spore-forming bacteria and milk spoilage, and delivered training and technology transfer to organic dairy producers and processors.
A total of 102 organic dairy farmers participated in a benchmarking survey of occurrence, abundance, and species composition of spore-forming spoilage bacteria and efficacy of NOP-allowed management tactics. These data were used to develop an online platform to help organic dairy producers estimate and mitigate milk spoilage risks in their operations.
Farmer Takeaways
(1) Surface sanitization with hydrogen peroxide reduces bacterial counts by 99%.
(2) Adding lactose oxidase to milk extends shelf life by releasing hydrogen peroxide and thereby inhibiting the growth of spore-forming bacteria.
(3) Udder hair removal by singeing significantly reduces spore-forming bacteria in milk.
(4) Experienced organic dairies (> 9 years) have lower spore counts in bulk tank raw milk.
Project Outputs
Organic Dairy Producer Resources | Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York (NOFA-NY)
Webinar: Factors Affecting Bacterial Spores in Organic Bulk Tank Milk | eOrganic
Lee, R.T., R.L. Evanowski, H.E. Greenbaum, D.A. Pawloski, M. Wiedmann and N.H. Martin. 2024. Troubleshooting high laboratory pasteurization counts in raw milk requires characterization of dominant thermoduric bacteria, which includes non-sporeformers as well as sporeformers. J. Dairy Sci., 107 (6), pp. 3478-3491.
Renee T. Lee, Rachel L. Weachock, Zoe D. Wasserlauf-Pepper, Martin Wiedmann, and Nicole H. Martin. 2025. Diverse spore-forming bacterial populations in US organic raw milk are driven by climate region. J. Dairy Sci 108 (5):
Qian, C., R.T. Lee, R.L. Weachock, M. Wiedmann, and N.H. Martin. 2025. A machine learning approach reveals that spore levels in organic bulk tank milk are dependent on farm characteristics and meteorological factors. J. Food Protection 88(5).
Wasserlauf-Pepper, Z. R. L. Evanowski, C. Geary, M. Wiedmann, and N.H. Martin. 2024. Spore levels in bulk tank organic raw milk and whole milk powder are reduced by udder hair singeing. J. Dairy Sci. Comm. 6(3): 282-286.