Automated Testing of Milk 1

A tour guide conducting a group through a modern dairy laboratory in the future could well say: "I appreciate this opportuni ty to take you on a tour through our laboratory. You will note that it little resembles the labs you and I worked in 20 yr ago. Reagent bottles are scarce, pipets are few, and agar media containers are gathering dust on storage shelves. Instruments have built in microprocessors that store operating parameters, control instrument operation, instruct the operator, compute and report results, and command appropriate changes in plant operations. Our lab is interfaced int imately with field work, administration, payment programs, and plant operations in a manner not considered possible a few years ago." Although our hypothetical guide might not bother to explain it, the magic begins at the farm, where sensitive detectors are built into the milking machinery. Computers interconnect the built-in instruments that measure animal health, temperature, milk produced each milking, and accurately identify each animal. The farm computer automatically is called daily by the laboratory 's computer, and important data are transferred. By the year 2000 an automatic sampler on the back of the tank truck probably will draw the sample from the farm bulk tank and deliver it into a test cell before any product can be transferred. The test cell will be f i t ted with several devices which allow the sample to be evaluated for temperature, antibiotics, added water, somatic cells, and bacterial content. The device even may detect preservative. A green light on the tester will indicate the sample meets specifications. The pump and valve mechanism will be activated to allow transfer of the milk to the truck or pipeline. An amber light would indicate a quality problem. Transfer