Assessing the Hygienic Quality of Raw Cow Milk from Transylvanian Farms

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess the hygienic quality of raw cow milk based on the total bacterial count (TBC), in farms from Transylvania. There were collected and analysed 288 milk samples from 12 farms (24 samples/farm). The total bacterial counts varied greatly in the milk from the investigated farms, from 55 CFU/ml to 693 x 103 CFU/ml. Significant differences were demonstrated among the majority of the farms (P<0.05). The mean values of TBC were significantly higher in summer than in winter (P<0.05). In 58.33% of the studied farms the raw milk’s bacterial counts exceeded the limits admitted by the European standards. The obtained results show high microbial contamination of the raw milk in more than half of the investigated farms, most probable because that the hygienic regulations are not respected.

Keywords

• microbial contamination
• raw cow milk
• total bacterial count (tbc)