Douglasdale Dairy
Food in Sandton

Douglasdale Dairy is proud to be one of the first Gauteng based fresh milk dairies to achieve international Food Safety Standard, HACCP certification.

The cows are milked and the milk is transported to the dairy where it is processed into various products. Some breeds give large quantities of milk, and others give milk that contain a high percentage of butterfat. Today's dairy farmer must have a thorough knowledge of cattle breeding, feeding, milk production and modern milking techniques in order to produce a high quality product of a regular quantity throughout the year. The milk is collected from the farm in large insulated road tankers and taken to the dairy. Before the milk is pumped into the road tanker at the farm, samples of the milk are taken to be tested. If the milk passes these tests, it is pumped into the road tanker and hauled to the dairy. When the road tankers arrive at Douglasdale, the milk in the tanker is tested for antibiotics, quality levels and water content. The samples collected at the farm are also tested in Douglasdale's own laboratory for butterfat, protein, lactose and added water. While it is being pumped, a drip sample is taken and then a further test is done for water and butterfat content. The water content test ensures that no water has been added to the milk during transport and the butterfat test provides the actual butterfat content of the entire tanker. A water content test measures the freezing point of the milk. By measuring the freezing point, it is possible to predict exactly how much water has been added. Butterfat content: The amount of butterfat in the milk is important because this is what gives milk its creamy taste. Freshness and keeping quality: The raw milk is also tested for freshness and keeping quality, and for this a test called the Resazurin or dye reduction test is used. Douglasdale processes the milk into different products and in so doing ensures that its products are healthy and nutritious. It has a longer shelf life, better taste, lower bacterial cell counts and reduced impurities. Pasteurisation Milk is a favourable breeding ground for bacteria which is pasteurised to destroy pathogenic organisms. This is not complete sterilisation but a heat treatment in which the temperature is just high enough to destroy bacteria without affecting the taste. The milk is pumped through a pasteuriser which consists of many stainless steel plates that are clamped together. A plate pasteuriser employs a regenerative process to improve energy efficiency, which means that the hot milk leaving the pasteurisation process is used to heat the cold milk entering the pasteurisation process. The separator consists of a centrifuge in the form of a rapidly revolving bowl containing a set of disks. When the milk and milk products have been processed, they are filled into containers of different sizes for sale to consumers. Store the milk in a closed container; otherwise it is likely to absorb the flavour of other foodstuff stored in the refrigerator. Once defrosted shake thoroughly and use within three days of thawing.