A paper stick test kit for rapid detection of total microbial contaminants in fresh milk

Abstract

The way to determine the total microbial contaminants in fresh milk is by the Total Plate Count (TPC) method. The TPC method requires 48 hours, high analytical skills, and high analytical costs. The aim of this research was to design a rapid detection tool for microbial contaminants in fresh milk called Paper Stick Test Kit (PSTK), which is fast, cheap, and easy. The stages of research designing PSTK are: (a) making PSTK, (b) testing the optimal time for using PSTK, and (c) making standard color maps. The results of this research are: (a) the best PSTK is made from cardboard with color indicators made from a mixture of bromothymol blue 0.3 g/250 ml solvent and NaOH 0.01 N; drying PSTK is best done in an oven with a temperature of 100oC, for 20 minutes; (b) the optimal time of application of PSTK in fresh milk is 20 seconds; and c) standard color maps are based on the correlation between microbial contaminant levels in fresh milk and color levels in PSTK dipped in microbial contaminated fresh milk.