Keep thermoduric bacteria counts under control this autumn

Joe Patton, Teagasc Head of Dairy Knowledge Transfer, offers advice on controlling thermoduric bacteria counts. Thermoduric bacteria are those that survive the pasteurisation process.

They are present in dung, soil and animal bedding, and can enter the milking equipment through dirty teats at milking time. These bacteria will cause issues in relation to milk processing and can limit the shelf life of pasteurised milk. 

The risk of higher thermoduric readings increases as we move into autumn conditions so take some steps to control:

• Keep the cow’s environment clean - collecting yards and roadways in particular.
• Change liners and rubber-ware in the milking parlour as per recommendation; many herds will be due a milk liner change now.
• Descale the milking machine regularly - pick a day of the week and stick to it.
• Check the cleaning of the milking machine and bulk tank – these should be free from any visible residue.
• Disinfect the milking plant with peracetic acid as the final additional rinse.
• Clean the vacuum line regularly with hot water/detergent and especially after any overflow/backflow incidents.
• Use a clean filter sock during washing.
• Have sufficient hot water at 75-80°C for cleaning milking equipment.

According to Teagasc milk quality specialists, many problems with high TBC/thermodurics are caused by inadequate levels of detergent being used for washing. This is a common problem with automatic washing systems, where lines and detergent levels are not checked, or simple faults go unnoticed over time. Check all equipment and barrels/drums regularly to ensure enough detergent/descaler/peracetic is being used each week. Avoid overuse of product by making sure the settings on your system are correct.

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