Impact of CO2 addition to milk on selected analytical testing methods

The addition of CO2 to raw milk and dairy products controls the growth of psychrotrophic bacteria at refrigeration temperatures. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of dissolved CO2 in milk on the performance of four important routine testing methods: antibiotic residue test, freezing point test, infrared milk component analysis, and alkaline phosphatase test. Raw or pasteurized whole milk was carbonated at <4 degrees C to contain approximately 0 (control), 200, 400, 600, and 1000 ppm of CO2. The addition of CO2 to raw milk up to 1000 ppm had no effect on the performance of the three antibiotic (beta-lactams) residue tests: IDEXX SNAP, Charm II Sequential Tablet, and Delvo-P Ampule. Milk freezing point decreased linearly with increasing concentration of dissolved CO2, from -0.543 degrees H (control) to -0.595 degrees H (1000 ppm). Carbonation to 1000 ppm decreased milk pH (measured at 38 degrees C) from 6.61 (control) to 6.15 (1000 ppm). The effects of CO2 on milk freezing point and pH were reversible upon removal of dissolved CO2. Increased CO2 levels in milk changed the infrared absorption spectrum of milk and caused the corrected lactose readings to decrease and the corrected fat B readings to increase. For the alkaline phosphatase tests, 0 (none), 0.05, 0.1, and 0.2% raw milk were deliberately added to pasteurized milks of six levels of carbonation (0 to 1000 ppm). The addition of CO2 did not influence the ability of Fluorophos, Charm PasLite, and Scharer Modified Rapid tests to differentiate between a pasteurized milk and a pasteurized milk with raw milk contamination.