Book excerpt: Throughout the world, milk and milk products are indispensable components of the food chain. Not only do individual consumers use liquid milk for beverages and cooking, but food manufacturers use vast quantities of milk powder, concentrated milks, butter, and cream as raw materials for further processing. Effective quality assurance in the dairy industry is needed now more than ever. This completely revised and expanded Third Edition of Dairy Microbiology Handbook, comprising both Volume I: Microbiology of Milk and Volume II: Microbiology of Milk Products, updates the discipline’s authoritative text with the latest safety research, guidelines, and information. Pathogens have become a major issue in dairy manufacturing. Escheria coli is a concern, and milk-borne strains of Mycobacterium avium sub-sp. paratuberculosis have been identified as a possible cause of Crohn’s disease. Even little-known parasites like Cryptosporidium have caused disease outbreaks. Consequently, a hazard analysis of selected control/critical points (HACCP) in any manufacturing process has become essential to prevent the contamination of food. This volume also: -Discusses new diagnostic techniques that allow a pathogen to be detected in a retail sample in a matter of hours rather than days -Provides thorough coverage of dairy microbiology principles as well as practical applications -Includes the latest developments in dairy starter cultures and genetic engineering techniques -Offers completely updated standards for Good Manufacturing Practice Quality control and product development managers, microbiologists, dairy scientists, engineers, and graduate students will find the Third Edition of Dairy Microbiology Handbook to be a vital resource.