Abstract:
Milk is lacteal secretion produced by mammalians to feed their young. It also serves
as an excellent medium for growth of many kinds of microorganisms. This study was
conducted to investigate the microbiological quality of dairy products collected from
farmer households and vendors and assess risk factors associated with milk
contamination and hygienic hadling practices in Sululta town. A total of 72
dairyproduct samples were colleted from farmer households and vendorsby sterile
bottles and placed in a cool box with ice packs to reduce change in microbial count
and analyzed for their microbial quality. The samples were analyzed for their
microbial quality in terms of total plate count, coliform count, Enterobacteriaceae
count, yeast and mould count by using plate count agar, violate red bile lactose agar,
MacConkey agar and dichloran-rose bengal chloramphenicol agar respectivel. The
overaal mean of total plate count in raw milk obtained from households and vendors
in the current study were 8.46±0.02 and 8.55±0.54 log cfu/mL, coliform count 4.46
±0.5 and 4.67±0.42 logcfu/mL, enterobacteriaceae count 5.87±0.56 and 6.08±0.68 log
cfu/mL and no yeast and mould. The total mean of total plate count, coliform count,
enterobacteriaceae count and yeast and mould count in yoghurt collected from
farmers and vendors in the present study were; 9.43±0.17 and 9.49±0.38, 4.62±0.74
and 4.75±0.45, 4.64± 0.76 and 4.89±0.52 and 8.18±0.45 and 8.20±0.45 log cfu/g. The
mean value of total plate count, coliform count, enterobacteriaceae count and yeast
and mould count in cheese samples collected from farmers and milk vendors in the
current study were 7.14±0.66 and 7.32±0.3, 4.30±0.56 and 4.50±0.86, 5.92±0.8 and
6.32±0.55 and 8.17±0.45 and 8.24±0.35 respectively. Milk hygiene handling practices
in the study area is below the standard due to insufficient pre-milking post harvest
handling practices. Therefore, Putting in place useful quality control system is an
important tool to bring improvement in dairy product.
