🔬 Laboratory
Also known as: lab
The place where milk is checked at reception, along with finished products; for raw milk the EU allows up to 400,000 somatic cells per ml.
A dairy laboratory is a room with instruments where the quality of milk is checked at reception, along with the finished products. Taste and smell, fat, protein, acidity, freezing point, bacteria and somatic cells are determined; for raw cow’s milk the EU limit is up to 400,000 somatic cells per millilitre.
According to the Tetra Pak handbook, normal milk has a pH of about 6.7 (6.6–6.8 at 20 °C) and a freezing point from −0.54 to −0.59 °C; a rise is a sign of added water. An infrared instrument can determine protein up to 300 times an hour. Bacteria are counted, among other ways, by incubating a sample at 30 °C for 72 hours.
Somatic cells are mostly white blood cells. They are more numerous in mastitis; healthy cows usually have fewer than 100,000 per millilitre. The limit is 400,000 in the EU, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and 750,000 in most US states. EU Regulation 853/2004 also limits bacteria: no more than 100,000 per millilitre at 30 °C (average over two to three months).
Fat is still often measured by the Gerber method, patented in 1891: sulphuric acid and amyl alcohol free the fat, the sample is spun in a centrifuge, and the result is read off the scale of a glass tube, the butyrometer. In Europe it is the main method, but it needs care with concentrated acid and depends on the operator’s skill.
Why it matters to you. The laboratory’s results decide whether the dairy accepts the milk: batches with too many bacteria or somatic cells are rejected. For the buyer this means uniform limits for the raw milk behind EU dairy products; the label does not show these figures, but the regulation sets the requirements.
Facts
| Legal basis | Regulation (EC) 853/2004: ≤ 400,000 somatic cells/ml, ≤ 100,000 bacteria/ml 2 |
|---|---|
| Year founded | Gerber method for fat: 1891 |
| Temperature | Freezing point of normal milk −0.54…−0.59 °C 1 |
| Main use | Checking milk at reception and finished products 1 |
How it connects to milk
🔬 Laboratory → kind of → 🏭 Milk processing at the dairy plant → kind of → 🥛 Milk
Links
- What happens here
- ✅ Quality control
- Who works here
- 🧑🔬 Laboratory technician, 🧑🔬 Dairy technologist
- Part of
- 🏭 Milk processing at the dairy plant
- Wine and milk
- 🍷 Oenologist
Frequently asked questions
What is checked in milk at the laboratory?
Taste and smell, fat, protein, acidity, freezing point, bacteria and somatic cells, as well as antibiotic residues.
What are somatic cells in milk?
Mostly white blood cells. There are more of them in mastitis; in healthy cows usually fewer than 100,000 per millilitre.
How many somatic cells are allowed in milk?
In the EU, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, up to 400,000 per millilitre; in most US states, up to 750,000.
What does the freezing point of milk show?
Normal is from −0.54 to −0.59 °C; it rises if water has been added to the milk.
Is it true that milk fat can only be measured with expensive instruments?
No. The 1891 Gerber method (sulphuric acid, a centrifuge and a glass tube with a scale) is still the main one in Europe; infrared analysis is a faster alternative.
What to read next
- ✅ Quality control — Fat, protein, bacteria, antibiotics, acidity.
- 🧑🔬 Laboratory technician — Tests milk in a lab: under EU rules raw cow's milk may hold no more than 400,000 somatic cells per millilitre, and bacteria and antibiotics are checked too.
- 🧑🔬 Dairy technologist — A specialist who selects recipes and milk-processing settings at a dairy plant, including pasteurization at 72 °C.
- 🍷 Oenologist — An oenologist (enologist, œnologue) is a trained wine scientist who oversees analysis, fermentation, ageing and quality from grape to bottle.
Similar
Sources
- Tetra Pak Dairy Processing Handbook: Collection and reception of milk
- Regulation (EC) No 853/2004, Annex III, Section IX (raw milk)