Spore-Forming Clostridia in Raw Cow Milk from Northern Italy: A Trend Analysis over the Past 20 Years.

Abstract

Clostridium species are known for their impact on animal and human health, but also for the spoilage of foodstuffs. Their spores contaminate milk and result in germination and gas production, the latter being particularly evident in the cheeses that suffer severe depreciation. To address this issue, the Primary Production Department of the IZSLER institute in Brescia, Italy conducts the Most Probable Number (MPN) method on bovine milk samples collected from Northern Italian dairies between 2004 and 2023. This approach leverages two semi-quantitative protocols, S2 and S3, to detect Clostridium species spore forms upon customer request. Here, we would like to present an a-posteriori analysis on the results of the S2 and S3 protocols. The goal of this study is to highlight the differences between these two methods and provide evidence of the actual decrease in Clostridium species in raw cow milk over a 20-year period. Our analysis shows that client demand for S2 has progressively decreased, while S3's has remained constant, and both protocols reveal a significant reduction in positives; furthermore, S3's greater sensitivity made it more responsive to environmental changes. This highlights the necessity of choosing the appropriate testing protocol that accounts for both regulatory standards and environmental factors. Overall, our findings underscore the importance of continued monitoring to manage Clostridium species contamination and ensure milk quality.