Rapid detection of microbial spoilage in milk using a portable Raman spectrometer coupled with user-friendly software

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Milk is an important constituent of our diet containing a variety of nutrients. Quality control of milk is therefore of paramount importance. The current methods for the determination of milk microbial spoilage are time consuming, labor-intensive, and require highly-trained personnels. As a nondestructive tool, Raman spectroscopy coupled with chemometric analysis is an ideal candidate to address this technique challenge in dairy industry. The availability of portable Raman spectrometer further facilitates the in-field and on-site detection of milk microbial spoilage. The objectives of this collaboration between UBC Food Science and Burton Software Inc. are as follows: 1) to apply portable Raman spectrometer for rapid fingerprinting chemical profiles of milk during the stage of microbial spoilage; 2) to apply chemometric analysis to define the level of microbial spoilage in milk; 3) to incorporate collected Raman spectra into the Icicle program (developed by Burton Software Inc.) for the construction of a user-friendly interface to report microbial spoilage in milk. Microbiological plating method will be applied to determine the total viable bacterial counts for each milk sample during microbial spoilage and pH will be recorded accordingly. These results will be used as reference values for the construction of Raman spectroscopic based chemometric models. The collected Raman spectra will be then incorporated into Icicle program to construct a user-friendly interface for automatic report of potential microbial spoilage in milk products. This novel technique has the potential to reduce the cost and time of determination of milk microbial spoilage and ultimately benefit BC and Canada by increasing consumer safety and lowering product-related risks.