PHYSICOCHEMICAL AND MICROBIOLOGICAL EXAMINATION OF RAW MILK

Abstract

Ukraine is actively implementing safety legislation and certain indicators of food quality, in particular, raw milk, to the requirements of the European Union. Modern requirements for raw milk require careful analysis of hygienic indicators. Raw milk materials supplied to “Bila Tserkva Dairy Plant” LLC and dairy plant in PJSC “Vita” of Kyiv Region were studied. The count of mesophilic aerobic and facultative anaerobic microorganisms (MAFAM) and the species composition of milk microflora, in particular, bacteria of the genus Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, bacteria of Escherichia coli group, psychrotrophic and spore-forming microorganisms were determined by microbiological methods. Physicochemical methods were used to determine: density, mass fraction of dry matter, somatic cell content, acidity, purity group, mass fractions of protein and fat. According to research results, the quality of farm milk is in an order of magnitude better than milk obtained from private households, in particular, by MAFAM count. The technology of obtaining farm milk ensures its production of extra and first grades, while milk obtained in the conditions of private households – the first grade and non-grade. According to physicochemical parameters, milk obtained under different conditions did not differ significantly. Microbiological parameters differed significantly. The average count of MAFAM in the milk from private households was 4361.25 ± 241.15, which is 12.6 times higher than MAFAM count even in milk of the first grade produced by a dairy farm. Irrespective of the season and conditions of raw milk production, all tested samples met the requirements of the current DSTU for the absence of bacteria of the genus Salmonella in 25 cm3 , Staphylococcus aureus in 0.1 cm3 , and Listeria monocytogenes in 25 cm3 . Bacteria of the Escherichia coli group were not detected in farm milk during the year, in contrast to milk from private households, where they were detected in spring and autumn (20% of cases). Both in farm and milk from private households, a group of mesophilic microorganisms prevailed over spore-forming and psychrotrophic ones. However, their number was different. Prospects for further research are to determine the sources of entering various types of microorganisms in raw milk and to develop procedures to eliminate the possibility of milk contamination with foreign microflora

Keywords

• raw milk
• farm milk
• milk from private households
• milk microflora
• quality parameters