The milk from dairy animals has a good nutritional value because it represents an indispensable source of high quality proteins. Moreover, it is the raw material for many dairy products consumed worldwide such as fresh and ripened cheeses, butter, cream and fermented derivatives like yoghurt, kefir, koumiss, etc. According to the European legislation (Regulation EC No 853/2004), the food business operators collecting raw milk intended to the production of milk and dairy products must ensure compliance with some health requirements of the animals. More in detail, the animals must not show any symptoms of infectious diseases for humans, or signs of diseases of the udder or the genital tract that could contaminate milk. Furthermore, they must belong to a holding free or officially free of tuberculosis and brucellosis and no unauthorized substances or authorized drugs without respect of the withdrawal period must have been administered. In addition to these requirements, raw milk coming from cows must meet some criteria with regards to the plate count at 30°C (ufc/ml) and somatic cell count (cells/ml). The bacterial contamination of milk can adversely affect its quality and safety and high values of somatic cell count can be considered an important indicator of mastitis. The results for these two regulatory parameters, i.e., the plate count at 30°C and somatic cell count, must be expressed as a rolling geometric average over a two- or three-month period, with at least two samples or one per month, respectively. The aim of this study was the evaluation of compliance with the mentioned criteria in milk samples collected from 100 different dairy farms located in Central Italy. The plate count at 30°C was exceeded in 12 dairy farms while the somatic cell count just only in 2. These results demonstrated a good management of hygiene practices during milking and collection of raw milk. This approach could include some important elements such as the definition of primary udder health parameters, the detection of cows causing the problem and the implementation of a good herd management plan.
Monitoring of the regulatory criteria for raw milk collected from dairy farms in Central Italy
Schirone M.
;Visciano P.
2018-01-01
Abstract
The milk from dairy animals has a good nutritional value because it represents an indispensable source of high quality proteins. Moreover, it is the raw material for many dairy products consumed worldwide such as fresh and ripened cheeses, butter, cream and fermented derivatives like yoghurt, kefir, koumiss, etc. According to the European legislation (Regulation EC No 853/2004), the food business operators collecting raw milk intended to the production of milk and dairy products must ensure compliance with some health requirements of the animals. More in detail, the animals must not show any symptoms of infectious diseases for humans, or signs of diseases of the udder or the genital tract that could contaminate milk. Furthermore, they must belong to a holding free or officially free of tuberculosis and brucellosis and no unauthorized substances or authorized drugs without respect of the withdrawal period must have been administered. In addition to these requirements, raw milk coming from cows must meet some criteria with regards to the plate count at 30°C (ufc/ml) and somatic cell count (cells/ml). The bacterial contamination of milk can adversely affect its quality and safety and high values of somatic cell count can be considered an important indicator of mastitis. The results for these two regulatory parameters, i.e., the plate count at 30°C and somatic cell count, must be expressed as a rolling geometric average over a two- or three-month period, with at least two samples or one per month, respectively. The aim of this study was the evaluation of compliance with the mentioned criteria in milk samples collected from 100 different dairy farms located in Central Italy. The plate count at 30°C was exceeded in 12 dairy farms while the somatic cell count just only in 2. These results demonstrated a good management of hygiene practices during milking and collection of raw milk. This approach could include some important elements such as the definition of primary udder health parameters, the detection of cows causing the problem and the implementation of a good herd management plan.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
