One of the greatest things about developing technology as a start up is the ability to meet directly with customers. We are privileged to be granted access to visit global dairy producers and experience their supply chain first-hand, giving us the unique opportunity to learn how differently dairy is produced and transported in different countries.
By providing on-site training we have direct experience of how our device and tests are utilised with samples in industry labs. We are able to see first-hand how our products are used and evolve our product offerings accordingly; making adjustments and improvements to suit customer requirements. This allows us to provide our clients with the best possible service and experience and to develop the product they actually need.
CYBERTONGUE® TRAVELS INTERNATIONALLY & LOCALLY THROUGHOUT NOVEMBER: There has been no time for jet lag at PPB Technology HQ with the team jumping straight off the plane from FoodTech and meetings with local European dairy producers and distributors, and back on the road to install two devices with local Australian dairy producers.
Feedback from our clients and dairy producers contacts has been incredibly positive and we’re excited to support producers to improve product quality, longevity, and most importantly reduce wastage of good milk across the globe.
Continue reading to learn more about what our recent processor experiences have taught us about the dairy production process and how bacterial protease issues (and solutions for improving product quality) are not where we, or many producers, always believed they were.
INDUSTRY LEARNINGS: If you’ve read any of our previous publications, you will be well aware that alkaline protease (AprX) from Pseudomonas bacteria is responsible for the majority of shelf-life failures and “disappointments” in UHT milk. This being due to the fact that a significant proportion of the AprX survives any commercial UHT sterilisation treatment.
Before CYBERTONGUE®, there was no product available in the market which allowed our customers to test for AprX. By visiting industry professionals on-site to provide demonstrations and education on the value of this test in industry, PPB Technology and our customers have been able to learn about the dairy industry in a way that was never previously possible.
One of our biggest learnings has been that there is no AprX protease present in raw milk at the time of milking. This is true wherever you are in the world and whatever your dairy system looks like.
AprX can only get into the milk through one of two processes:
• The density of Pseudomonas bacteria was allowed to reach 10^8 colony forming units per mL (see Figure 1)
OR
• Biofilms of Pseudomonas leach into the milk somewhere along the supply chain (see Figure 2)
This is great news for dairy professionals because this means that the activity of AprX in raw milk (and therefore the shelf-life of UHT made from it) is entirely within the control of those who manage the supply chain.
AUSTRALIAN FOOD SAFETY WEEK: Last week was Australian Food Safety Week (9th-16th November) with the theme ‘Look before you cook – reading food labels’.
At PPB Technology, we are passionate about food sustainability and the reduction of food waste, however CYBERTONGUE® Technology is focused more on the steps that can be taken early on in the supply chain, supporting Quality Assurance Management in the production line.
Through the process of product development, as mentioned above, we’ve been granted access to the inner workings of many dairy plants across three continents. QA teams across the industry put in an extraordinary amount of care and rigour into food safety and we have the utmost respect for the work they do to ensure the products we eat are safe.
However, this week brought to our attention how we can, in our own homes, respect the work they do for our safety by looking before we cook and reading food labels.
Most food poisoning incidents originate in the home, and that is the part of the food supply chain that is within our control as consumers.
UPCOMING: We are quickly approaching the end of 2024, and what a year it’s been for PPB Technology. We have doubled our company staff head count on this time last year, with strong indications of increased growth in our team and for our products predicted in 2025
We are making plans to attend dairy industry and food and beverages conferences and trade shows in 2025 and we hope to see you there. However if you don’t want to wait to see how our technology can support your business and quality management, click on the “Get a Quote” function to send through a request to talk directly to our team.