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American Journal of Food Technology

Year: 2007 | Volume: 2 | Issue: 3 | Page No.: 145-152
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Authors

E. Nanu

C. Latha

B. Sunil

Prejit

Magna Thomas

K. Vrinda Menon

Keywords

Research Article

Quality Assurance and Public Health Safety of Raw Milk at the Production Point

E. Nanu, C. Latha, B. Sunil, Prejit, Magna Thomas and K. Vrinda Menon
In order to get an insight on the microbial quality assurance of milk at the point of production (farmer’s level), a total of 240 raw milk samples were collected from farmers belonging to three farmer dairy societies of Kerala, viz; FS1, FS2 and FS3 and were examined to estimate the microbial load per ml of milk and also to detect the presence of bacterial pathogens of public health significance. The quality of each samples were evaluated by estimating the Total Viable Count (TVC), Coliform Count (CC), Psychrotrophic Count (PC), Faecal Streptococcal Count (FSC) and Yeast and Mould Count (YMC). The samples collected from the farmers belonging to society 2 (FS2) had the highest microbial load with respect to the TVC, CC, PC and YMC with highly significant (p≤0.01) difference between mean TVC, CC and PC of the samples obtained from the FS1 and significant (p≤0.05) difference between mean YMC of FS. The samples belonging to FS3 has the highest mean FSC. Among the pathogenic isolates, E. coli was detected in 76 (31.6%) samples and the isolates consisted of the serotypes 05, 024, 025, 068, 084, 087, 0103, 0116, 0125, 0145, 0157 and 0172. Stap. aureus was isolated from 84 samples (35%), Yersinia from 118 and L. monocytogenes from only one sample. Among spoilage causing organisms viz., Aeromonas, Pseudomonas aeroginosa, Lactobacillus and Proteus, the isolates obtained were 88, 10.8, 83.7 and 5%, respectively. In order to identify the Critical Control Points (CCP) of microbial contamination of milk the samples of air, water, hand wash, udder wash and utensil rinsing obtained from the farmers were evaluated and observed high counts from samples of udder and hand wash indicative of milk contamination.
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