Bacteriological quality of raw cow's milk from four dairy farms and a milk collection centre in and around Addis Ababa
Godefay, B.; Molla, B.
Berliner und Münchener Tierärztliche Wochenschrift 113(7-8): 276-278
2000
ISSN/ISBN: 0005-9366 PMID: 10994252 Document Number: 514829
Bacteriological quality of raw cow milk taken at different sampling points from 4 dairy farms and a milk collection centre in and around Addis Ababa was evaluated. Milk samples were aseptically collected from the udder, bucket, storage container before and after cooling and on arrival at the processing plant. A high increase in the mean total aerobic plate count was observed in milk samples taken from the bucket (1.1 x 105 c.f.u./ml), storage container before cooling (4 x 106 c.f.u./ml) and on arrival at the processing plant (1.9 x 108 c.f.u./ml). The mean coliform counts ranged from 1.3 x 104 c.f.u./ml (storage container before cooling) to 7.1 x 104 c.f.u./ml (on arrival at the processing plant). The hygienic quality of raw milk from the collection centre was poor with a mean total bacterial count of 1.3 x 107 c.f.u./ml. Milk sampled from the udder contained mainly staphylococci and micrococci as udder-specific bacteria, while samples taken at later stages were additionally contaminated with bacteria of environmental origin (especially Enterobacteriaceae). Lack of knowledge about hygienic milk production, use of unhygienic milking equipment and lack of potable water for cleaning were some of the factors which contributed to the poor hygienic quality of the raw milk in this study.