Milk and Dairy Sampling Explanation and Required Sampling Frequencies
The Texas Department of State Health Services requires licensed Raw for Retail dairies to have their milk sampled on a quarterly basis for pathogenic bacteria and for the presence of antibiotics in the milk. If either of these are found present in milk intended for sale as Grade "A" Retail Raw, the dairyman's product will be immediately detained and not available for public sale. This procedure is required to react to imminent health hazards present for consumers who may purchase or consume the milk. WITHOUT proper pasteurization of raw milk, the risk for contamination outbreaks increase 24%. WITH proper pasteurization of raw milk, contamination outbreaks are less than 1%. Therefore, any presence of antibiotics or the below pathogenic bacteria are not tolerated.
The Texas Department of State Health Services requires licensed Grade "A" Raw for Retail dairies to have their milk sampled for the below five items on a monthly basis.
| Monthly Routine Milk Tests Performed |
Standard Limit Counts on Milk Samples Collected |
| Bacteria (also known as Standard Plate Count) |
20,000 mL |
| Somatic Cell Count |
750,000 per mL (Cow Milk)
1,000,000 per mL (Goat Milk) |
| Colliform |
10 per mL |
| Growth Inhibitors (Antibiotics) |
Must not be present |
| Freezing Point (the presence of added water in whole milk |
0.510H |
The specific pathogenic bacteria Grade "A" Retail Raw is tested for are:
- Salmonella
- Listeria Monocytogenes
- E. Coli 0157:H7
- Campylobacter sp.
- Yersinia enterocolitica
- Staphlococcus aureus enterotoxin