Microbiological quality of bulk tank raw milk in Hajdú-Bihar County, Hungary
Absztrakt
Raw milk microbial contamination usually occurs through Endogenous (systemic infection): bloodstream to milk or infected udder called mastitis and Exogenous contamination during or after the milking process by faeces, exterior of the udder and teats, skin, environment and other sources posing public health risk and economic decline. The aim for this study was to examine the bacteriological quality of bulk raw milk samples collected from two dairy farms in Hajdú-Bihar County, Hungary (farm1 and farm 2) in July, 2017. The samples were analysed for Total Plate Count, coliform count, Escherichia coli count, Staphylococcus aureus count, yeast and moulds count. The results clearly showed least level of all bacteria load in farm1 samples with the exception of CNS which was averagely high indicating a significant difference (P<0.05) in comparison to farm 2. The mean value for Total Plate Count in farm2 sample was higher (1.0 × 105 cfu/ml) than farm1 samples (2.8 × 104 cfu/ml). There was a significant difference (P<0.05) between the mean count of coliforms in raw milk samples from farm1 and farm2. Similar observations was made in terms of E. coli with mean count of 1.44 × 102 cfu/ml and 2.02 × 103 cfu/ml respectively of farm 1 and farm 2 presenting a significant difference (P<0.05). Staphylococcus aureus also showed a significant difference (P<0.05) in the mean count from both samples however both mould and yeast mean count 1.07 × 102 cfu/ml and 4.93 × 102 cfu/ml, 1.68 × 103 cfu/ml and 3.41 × 103 cfu/ml respectively of farm1 and farm2 samples indicated no significant difference (P>0.05). Although farm 2 produce six times less milk quantity than farm1 yet had high mean count of the microbial parameters analysed nonetheless both farms had numbers higher above the permitted limit values. This could be an indication of non-conformance to effective GMP, ineffective udder disinfection, poor storage practice and inadequate Food Safety Management System Implementation. Therefore it is recommended that strict sanitation regime and hygiene protocol be employed and applied to cows, all equipment, contact surfaces and minimize handling of the milk prior, during and after milking. This will also serve as scientific information to the producers for continual improvement in their operations.