Alternative equipment with proved efficacy can help to make the use of slow pasteurization feasible by small producers, increasing their gain and reducing the illegal milk business. In the present study, the efficacy of alternative equipment for slow pasteurization of previously packed milk was evaluated. Fourteen lots with thirty liters of milk were studied. The analyses were mesophilic aerobes, total coliforms and thermotolerant coliform counts, reduction of the mesophilic aerobe number, and phosphatase and peroxidase activity tests. The efficiency of pasteurization to reduce the mesophilic aerobes number in milk ranged from 99.97 to 99.99%. All samples of pasteurized milk presented total and thermotolerant coliform counts <0.3 MPN/mL, and negative and positive results for phosphatase and peroxidase tests, respectively. The equipment tested was efficient at slow pasteurization of previously packed milk as the pasteurized milk complied with Brazilian legislation.
pasteurizer; microbiology; pasteurized milk
