The importance of testing pH in Dairy Products

Milk to be used in the cheese manufacturing process must be of excellent quality.  It's pH value decides whether the cheese will be soft or hard.  pH is also checked during cheese preparation, the souring of milk and cream maturation. The growth of pathogens in fresh and soft varieties can be slowed down drastically by ensuring that the pH stays within 4.1 and 5.3 range.

pH control is very important in the butter manufacturing process.  After pasteurization, the cream is cooled and must be kept at a strict pH value between 6.70 and 6.85 to generate sweet butter.  To manufacture sour butter citric acid extracts are added to acidify the cream to a pH of 4.6 -5.0.  With most butter products, a lower pH value enhances the shelf life of the product.

When producing yogurt, the cooling of the cultured milk can only start once acidification has reached a pH value of 4.4 to 4.6. As for fruity yogurts, the pH of the fruit added must be the same as the yogurt itself to avoid any undesirable reactions at the end of the cycle.  Ideally, a finished yogurt should have a pH of 4.0 to 4.4 for longer conservation.

When testing food products conventional electrodes can quickly fail as the reference junction becomes blocked by components of the food samples. This leads to slower response times, inaccurate results and eventually a failed electrode. The 1200385 (HI-91161) food pH meter comes with a specialized electrode which can stand up to these conditions, giving a longer life and greater accuracy in your results. In addition, the waterproof casing provides excellent protection from water and humidity, typically present in the food industry. The 1134509 (FC202D) pH electrode has a white PTFE non-stick coating and a conical shaped pH measurement bulb, making it easy to insert into semi-solid food products and easy to clean between samples. It also features a unique free-flow junction so it will not become clogged and a built-in temperature sensor for automatic temperature compensation as well as displaying the temperature of the sample on the meter screen.