Sources of propionic acid bacteria contamination in the milking parlor environment on Alpine Dairy Farms

High quality raw milk is an important prerequisite for the production of long ripened raw milk cheeses. This implies not only the absence of pathogenic microorgan- isms in raw milk, but also low levels of spoilage bacteria, including dairy propionic acid bacteria (dPAB), that can cause blowing and sensory defects in cheese, result- ing in severe economic losses for producers. Raw milk contamination with dPAB has been primarily associated with improperly cleaned milking systems, but they have...