Development of a hygiene standard for raw milk based on the Lumac ATP-bioluminescence method

A practical and reliable ‘standard’ has been derived to enable the use of ATP-bioluminescence as a screening test for assessing the hygienic quality of raw cows' milk. A total of 712 ex-farm bulk tank milk samples were examined using both the Lumac ATP-bioluminescence method and the total microbial colony count method. No samples were treated in any way to create artificially high or low counts. Using the Lumac Raw Milk Microbial kit and the Lumac 2500 instrument, an ATP reading of 5700 can be used as a qualitative ‘cut-off value’ at a 95% confidence level to classify UK raw milks with total bacterial counts greater than or less than 10 5 cfu mL −1. The measurement of ATP to reliably assess the hygienic quality of raw milk provides a powerful management tool for improving the use of this valuable raw material.