Dairy Foods Microbiology, the Good and Bad of Bacteria, and Lessons from the Infant Formula Crisis with Olivia McAuliffe, PhD

Recording in person from the 2023 ADSA Annual Meeting, Matt steps out of his production comfort zone to chat about dairy microbiology with Olivia McAuliffe, a principal food scientist at Teagasc Food Research Center in Ireland, honorary professor at Queen’s University Belfast, and senior editor of the Journal of Dairy Science. Explaining her research in strain discovery, Olivia pulls back the curtains for listeners on the small army of dairy foods professionals working behind the scenes to optimize dairy microbiology, ensuring that dairy products are full of healthy and delicious microorganisms for fermentation and free of pathogens that might harm our health. Olivia outlines how she and the Teagasc Cultures, Fermentation, and Biotransformation team map the history of the bacteria used in fermented foods and discover novel starter cultures, pushing the industry toward new flavors and textures for the dairy products we know and love. The two also discuss the ADSA symposium on lessons learned from the 2022 US infant formula crisis, explaining the pathogen Cronobacter sakazakii and the advancements in dry sanitation and safety steps in the infant powder formula supply chain, including exciting new frontiers in bacteriophages—viruses deployed to act as natural predators to unhealthy bacteria, infesting and fighting them off in lieu of traditional antibiotics. Episode Three Show Notes Learn more about Dr. Olivia McAuliffe and connect with her on Twitter and LinkedIn. Check out the ADSA Annual Meeting sessions mentioned in the episode and save the date for the 2024 Annual Meeting: Dairy Foods Symposium: Todd R. Klaenhammer Memorial Symposium: Contributions to Our Understanding of Lactic Acid Bacteria Dairy Foods: Managing the Risks—Lessons from The Infant Formula Crisis