The Impact of Cold Storage and Seasonality on Raw Cow Milk Microbiota, Assessed by Conventional and Viability PCR

The microbiota of healthy Holstein cow’s milk was analyzed to evaluate the effects of immediate (freezing at the farm: on-site workflow) and delayed processing (freezing after cool transport: laboratory workflow) and to investigate seasonal changes in September, November, and January. Propidium monoazide (PMA) was also used to distinguish between viable and non-viable cells. Microbiota composition differed between the laboratory and the on-site workflow. After cool transport, the abundances of Lactobacillus and Turicibacter increased, while those of Streptococcus, Bradyrhizobium, and Acinetobacter decreased. Based on the β-diversity assessment, the difference between viable and non-viable cells was marginal compared with the difference between on-site and laboratory workflows. In the subsequent on-site workflow experiment, seasonal variation was clearly demonstrated. The relative abundances of Lactobacillus, Turicibacter, and Bacillus were high in September; Staphylococcus, Phenylobacterium, and Bradyrhizobium in November; and Phyllobacterium in January. The seasonal effect was greater than the PMA treatment effect. Despite the study’s limitations, such as a limited number of milk samples and data from only one farm with a single management system, our findings indicate that storage and transport at low temperatures could lead to inaccurate assessments, particularly of opportunistic environmental microbiota. Viability PCR could help improve our understanding of the factors involved but would not substantially alter the raw milk microbiota.