The safety of dairy products has increasingly become the focus of both social and scientific attention. This article provides an overview of the concepts of dairy product safety and microbial risk assessment. From the point of view of the hazard factors affecting the safety of dairy products, a comprehensive review is executed with respect to the sources of microbial hazards and the current status of microbial risk assessment at home and abroad. And differences between microbial risk assessment and chemical hazard risk assessment are pointed out. Finally, a perspective outlook is proposed to expect the future direction of microbial risk assessment of dairy products in China.

Milk fermented by Leuconostoc mesenteroides Leuco4 or yoghurt starter culture YO-MIX465 (consisting of Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus) and their mixture at a mass ratio of 1:4 were evaluated for viscosity, syneresis, texture properties and sensory quality. Compared with YO-MIX465-fermented milk, fermented milk containing Leuconostoc mesenteroides Leuco4 had better water-holding capacity and viscosity and desired viscosity, taste and stability and could meet the requirement of clean-label products due to not containing any food additives.

Cronobacter spp. was originally defined as yellow-pigmented Enterobacter cloacae until 1980 when it was designated Enterobacter sakazakii, is a Gram-negative opportunistic food-borne pathogen that can cause necrotising enterocolitis, sepsis and meningitis in neonates. Neonates and infants under two months of age are at greater risk of Cronobacter infections from consuming Cronobacter spp. contaminated powdered infant formula. In 2012, the genus was reclassified to contain seven different species. Rapid and accurate identification of Cronobacter strains is important for surveillance, prevention and control of this food-borne pathogen. Moreover, this review summarizes main methods for detection and identification of Cronobacter spp., which will be of great benefit to the testing organizations in China.