PHYSIOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES AND ANTIMICROBIAL EFFECT OF SMOKING MILK HANDLING CONTAINERS ON CAMEL AND COW MILK ACROSS THE MILK SUPPLY CHAIN IN THE SELECTED AREAS OF EASTERN ETHIOPIA

Abstract

his study evaluated containers smoking effect on the physicochemical and microbiological quality of camel and cow milk along the milk supply chains in the selected areas of Eastern Ethiopia. A total of 90 milk samples (54 were collected from producers in Babile district using simple random sampling technique, including 9 camel and 9 cow milk samples from each chlorine-disinfected, smoked, and non-smoked plastic milk handling containers, while 36 samples (6 camel and 6 cow milk samples) each from wholesalers in Babile and retailers in Harar and Dire Dawa were collected using snowball sampling technique. Physicochemical parameters and microbial count were analyzed using standard methods. It shows that camel milk in chlorine-disinfected containers had lower TA by 0.016% and 0.017% than samples in smoked and non-smoked containers. Also cow milk in chlorine-disinfected containers had less TA by 0.023% and 0.025% than samples from smoked and non-smoked containers, respectively. No significant differences (p > 0.05) in fat, protein, TS, ash, SNF and lactose contents among producers milk samples from chlorine disinfected, smoked and non-smoked plastic milk handling containers in both camel and cow milk samples).Camel milk from producers had significantly higher TS (12.2.6±0.15%) and SNF (8.68±0.37%) than the TS of 11.48±0.19% and 7.71±0.18% SNF in Dire Dawa retailer’s milk sample. Similarly, cow milk sample from producers had higher TS (13.69±0.2%), fat (4.7±0.14%), and SNF (9.0±0.19%) along the supply chains, while the highest titratable acidity (0.23±0.007%) in Diredawa retailers. The results of TBC, TCC, and LAB from producers were significantly lower (p<0.05) in camel and cow milk samples from chlorine disinfected plastic milk handling containers compared to milk samples from smoked and non-smoked plastic milk handling containers. Camel milk in smoked containers had 0.56 log unit lower TBC and 0.8 log unit lower TCC compared to samples in non-smoked containers. While cow milk had a 0.82 log unit reduction in TBC and 0.9 log unit reduction in TCC. Along the supply chain, TBC and TCC increased significantly (p<0.05), with the overall mean TBC of 5.42±0.56 log cfu/ml and TCC of 4.63±0.53 log cfu/ml in camel milk., while cow milk had higher overall values of 6.87±0.56 log cfu/ml (TBC) and 6.81±0.53 log cfu/ml (TCC).Additionally, the highest LAB count of 5.43±0.27 log cfu/ml was recorded in cow milk from Dire Dawa retailers. This finding suggests that smoking milk handling containers can improve the microbial quality of raw milk. However, effective sanitation practices are necessary and further studies are needed to assess the impact of containers smoking on pathogenic microorganisms