ISO approves pasteurisation test

The Alkaline Phosphase test developed by US-based Charm Sciences was approved for use in the manufacture of milk and dairy products. The International Standards Organisation (ISO) is seen as a benchmark for global safety and quality standards, and bases its decisions on peer reviewed and collaborative laboratory studies. Charm Sciences' test, also known as the Paslite test, has already been cleared by US Pasteurized Milk Ordinance (PMO), the Australian (Victoria) and New Zealand Food Authorities, and is referenced in Standard Methods for the Examination of Dairy Products. The firm claimed the Paslite test was the leading alkaline phosphatase test employed by dairy industry worldwide, and that it was the fastest available because no warm-up time is required and it can cope with multiple samples at once. The test takes three minutes to complete, it said. Ensuring pasteurisation has been fully completed is essential for dairy firms to make sure that any potentially harmful bacteria is not found in the end-product. Some traditionalists argue pasteurisation can ruin taste, however, and many specialist cheeses, such as Roquefort in France, are still produced with raw milk. The study that clinched Charm ISO recognition for its Paslite test can be found in the Journal of the International AOAC, Vol. 89, No.4, 2006 and is available on the Charm website​. The firm described the test as an enzyme photo-activated system (EPAS) method, that measures in mU/L enzyme activity and employs a 350mU/L threshold for verifying effective pasteurisation.