AUTHOR=Du Bingyao , Meng Lu , Wu Haoming , Yang Huaigu , Liu Huimin , Zheng Nan , Zhang Yangdong , Zhao Shengguo , Wang Jiaqi TITLE=Source Tracker Modeling Based on 16S rDNA Sequencing and Analysis of Microbial Contamination Sources for Pasteurized Milk JOURNAL=Frontiers in Nutrition VOLUME=9 YEAR=2022 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2022.845150 DOI=10.3389/fnut.2022.845150 ISSN=2296-861X ABSTRACT=

Milk is rich in fat, protein, minerals, vitamins, peptides, immunologically active substances, and other nutrients, and it plays an important role in satisfying human nutrition and health. However, dairy product safety incidents caused by microbial contamination have occurred. We found that the total bacterial numbers in the pasteurized product were low and far below the limit requirements of the food safety standards of the European Union, the United States, and China. At the genus level, the primary microbial groups found in milk samples were Acinetobacter, Macrococcus, Pseudomonas, and Lactococcus, while in the equipment rinse water and air samples there was contamination by Stenotrophomonas and Acinetobacter. The Source Tracker model analysis indicated that the microorganisms in the final milk products were significantly related to the contamination in product tanks and raw milk. Therefore, it is the hope that this work can provide guidance to pinpoint contamination problems using the proper quality control sampling at specific stages in the pasteurization process.