Microbiological quality of fermented milk produced by repeated-batch culture.

Using a starter culture containing Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris and Acetobacter orientalis, repeated-batch culture for fermented-milk production was carried out for 14 d. The pH decreased to approximately 4.3 and the milk solidified stably when the mixing ratio of fermented-milk to fresh milk was set at a level as high as 10%. The microbial population gradually changed as the culture progressed, and the cell densities of lactic and acetic acid bacteria finally leveled off to constant values. The quality of the fermented-milk became almost constant with respect to the changes in the cell densities of the lactic and acetic acid bacteria. Escherichia coli was then inoculated into the fermented-milk to simulate household contamination. E. coli was washed out with the progress of the repeated-batch culture, and thus showed no adverse effects on the fermented-milk production.