Evalution of the Microbiological Quality of Moroccan Cow Raw Milk in Dairy Herds Located in the Beni Mellal Region

Rachid Hnini, Lhou Ouhida, Mohammed Chigr, Mohamed Merzouki, Lahoucine Bahi, Mohammed El Hansali, Mohamed Najimi, Fatiha Chigr

The main objectives of the present study were to evaluate the microbiological quality of raw cow milk produced in Beni Mellal region, one of the major milk production areas in Morocco located in the North-Centre of Morocco to evaluate the characteristics of the raw milk produced and also to evaluate hygienic conditions effects and breeding factors on milk microbiological aspects. For this, hygienic quality of milk was determined by assessing the analysis of Total Aerobic Flora or Total Bacterial Count, Total Coliforms Count, Fecal Coliforms Count, Pseudomonas sp while germs such as Anaerobic Sulphite-reducing Bacteria, Staphyloccoccus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella sp, were carried out according to international standards. The analysis of the microbiological results found for all the areas investigated in this study revealed that the great majority of milk caw samples studied were contaminated but at diverse levels exceeding in many times the normal threshold. Absence of pathogenic flora mainly Salmonella sp, Clostridium and Listeria was revealed by the present investigations in agreement with numerous studies in Morocco. In order to reduce the strong microbial contamination of the caw milk samples studied, the industries and authorities must made a compensate system for farmers presenting a good hygienic milk criteria on the one hand and a penalties system for those providing a bad hygienic or chemical and physical milk criteria on the one other hand.

https://doi.org/10.31871/WJRR.7.6.12