Abstract
Milk is a foodstuff that is very open to contamination depending on the way it is obtained. Also, it is a microbiologically perishable product in terms of the nutritional components it contains. Regarding both regulations and consumer awareness, it cannot be intervened substantially until the process of raw milk in the dairy farms. Therefore, due to the proliferation of Coliforms, especially Pseudomonas spp. and lactic acid bacteria, various problems may arise in both product and technology. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of lactoferrin, a natural inhibitor, on the microbiological properties of raw milk kept in the cold chain. As a result of the study, no inhibitory effect of lactoferrin on lactic acid bacteria was observed. However, it showed a significant antibacterial effect by inhibiting the growth of Pseudomonas spp. and Coliform (P<0.05). As the lactoferrin concentration increased, the antimicrobial effect increased significantly. This showed that lactoferrin can be used as a natural antimicrobial agent in cold systems of liquid foods.