Royal DSM unveils latest technology to enable easier control of bacteria in dairy

NETHERLANDS – Royal DSM, a Dutch multinational corporation active in the fields of health, nutrition and materials, has unveiled its latest state-of-the-art innovations meant to boost the detection of bacteriophages, a virus that infects and replicates within bacteria, in the dairy sector.

The DelvoPhage test kit which is the fastest phage testing kit on the market can detect phages in dairy within an hour, helping to increase cheese yield and quality, reduce waste and boost value in cheese production by 5-10%. Part of DSM’s broader phage management solution, the new DelvoAnalytics app offers a 24/7 platform for phage insights and data from whey samples of production. It enables dairy manufacturers to take immediate action on results with customized culture rotation recommendations.

Phage infection of dairy starter cultures remains the main cause of fermentation failures in the dairy industry. Phage outbreaks can lead to substantial economic losses due to manufacturing delays, waste of ingredients, lower quality product, growth of spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms or even total production loss.

In conjunction with DSM’s whey testing and culture rotation services, the new digital solutions enable cheese and fermented milk product producers to make smarter, data-driven decisions in real-time for more efficient and cost-effective production processes.

According to DSM’s Cheese Global Business Lead, Evandro Oliveira de Souza, bacteriophage contamination is a challenge faced by nearly all cheese manufacturers and lengthy testing timings have long been a substantial barrier to combatting issues caused by phages.

“Our team of dedicated dairy experts understand these challenges and can help customers identify areas for improvement and implement a culture rotation strategy that enables them to stay one step ahead of phages – and the competition. Dairies can have peace of mind that whenever issues occur, DSM is the ideal partner to provide support and lead them in the right direction towards higher quality cheese,” he said.

DSM’s newly expanded, integrated phage management solution delivers the speed producers need to outwit phages and minimize costly downgrades in product quality. Ideal for cheese and fermented milk products, DSM’s easy-to-use DelvoPhage test kit is a unique, digital qPCR test kit offering quantitative phage detection results ‘on the spot’ at several steps during production.

 It enables active bacteriophage monitoring and management in mesophilic and thermophilic dairy processes for reliable and consistent production, providing an early warning system for preventing phage problems.

With amplified consistency, dairies can surge production capacity and ameliorate cheese and fermented dairy product quality, while also reducing economic losses by averting waste, abating production slowdowns and improving sustainability.