Cross-sectional surveillance reveals widespread quality non-compliance and antibiotic contamination in informal raw milk, highlighting critical public health risks from deficient hygiene.
This study aims to evaluate the quality and presence of antibiotic residues in raw cow's milk marketed through informal channels in the provinces of Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas and Manabí, Ecuador. A total of 406 samples were collected between April 2023 and August 2024. Only 12.32% (50/406) met the requirements established by the Ecuadorian Technical Standard INEN 9, while 87.68% (356/406) failed to comply with at least one quality parameter. The most frequent non-conformities were observed when analyzing pH (72.41%), titratable acidity (68.72%), and protein stability (55.67%), likely reflecting deficient hygienic practices during production and handling. Furthermore, 6.40% (26/406) of the samples tested positive for antibiotic residues. These findings underscore significant shortcomings in milk quality within informal markets and underscore the potential public health risks associated with consuming improperly handled raw milk in these Ecuadorian provinces.
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Puga-Torres et al. (2025) studied this question.
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