Influence of Enzyme Activity of Bacteria and Leucocytes in Raw Milk on Age Gelation after UHT Processing

An investigation was undertaken into the relationship between the enzyme activity of cells harvested from raw milk and time taken for age gelation (TAG) to occur in the milk after ultra-high-temperature processing. It was shown that there was no relationship between the TAG and the bacterial counts on milk agar at 30°C or 7°C nor was there a relationship between the counts and the level of enzyme activity of the harvested cells. There was, however, a significant correlation between the level of enzyme activity of the harvested cells and the TAG. When extra bovine leucocytes were added to raw milk before processing, the TAG was increased. This suggested that there was an inhibitory action of leucocytes in development of age gelation.