This course will provide attendees with information in four key program areas that are listed below, along with the key learning outcomes in each area:
Dairy Regulations/Food Safety Modernization Act
- Identify regulatory agencies responsible for dairy products in the US and name key regulations and policies relevant to dairy food production, processing and safety (e.g., NY State, Pasteurized Milk Ordinance, Code of Federal Regulations, and the Food Safety Modernization Act).
Milk Composition & Unit Processing Operations
- Know the key components of milk and their respective roles in dairy products and how key attributes of dairy products (e.g., pH, water activity) influence microbial growth and survival.
- Identify primary dairy unit processing operations and their effects on dairy product composition, quality and properties and on microbial populations.
Good Manufacturing Practices / Dairy Sanitation
- Know key components of GMPs that need to be observed and practiced in dairy processing facilities.
- Identify cleaning agents and sanitizers commonly used in dairy processing and their application.
- Understand key components of cleaning/sanitation programs such that they can be assessed in a dairy processing facility.
Basic Dairy Microbiology/Food Safety Overview
- Know key foodborne pathogens that can be transmitted through dairy foods and describe likely entry points of these pathogens in the dairy foods continuum.
- Identify dairy processing practices that prevent or reduce the likelihood of biological, chemical and physical hazards in dairy foods.
- Know classes of dairy spoilage organisms and describe likely entry points in the dairy foods continuum.
- Be able to described key characteristics of microorganisms relevant to dairy production and food safety, including factors affecting microbial growth and survival (e.g., temperature, water activity, pH).
