Review on Hygienic Milk Products Practice and Occurrence of Mastitis in Cow’s Milk

Milk is composed of approximately 87.2% water, 3.7% fats, 3.5% protein, 4.9% lactose 0.7% ash and has a pH 6.8.Milk is universally recognized as a complete diet due to its essential nutritional components.Milk is a valuable source of protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals.Milk protein contains all the nine essential amino acids required by humans, especially young ones, for growth and development.The key factor for quality dairy products is to avoid contamination of the raw milk and milk products.Failure to maintain adequate sanitation practices has been contribute to contamination of milk with undesirable or pathogenic micro-organisms or chemical or physical hazards.Because quality of dairy products are easily affected due to different factors of which performance of milking procedures and cleanness of the milking utensils and equipment are the major one.The key sources of contamination are: faeces, from soiled animals, especially teats, udders and tails; bacteria, from poor milking practices, soiled hands, inadequately cleaned and disinfected equipment (including bulk milk tanks), and failure to clean and disinfect teats prior to milking; failure to detect abnormal milk (mastitis pathogens, blood and clots); foreign bodies, especially from perished components in milking machines and bulk tanks, dust, bedding materials, dung, insects and animal hair; chemicals, metals, organics, etc., from veterinary product residues, cleaning chemicals and use of non-food grade equipment.The common predisposing factors of milk contamination by microorganisms are milking environment, cows, milking personnel, milking equipment, milk transportation and water.On the next milking, the cow is given its calf to suckle and milking follows without cleaning the teats.Saliva from the calf mouth and unwashed teats increase bacterial counts in the milk causing spoilage.Failure to thoroughly clean and dry the udder and teats is a common source of Coliforms in milk.Generally, the milk hygiene practice has interests in preventing the transmission milkborn zoonotic diseases, preventing the transmission of communicable diseases of man through milk, preventing diseases or physical defects that may arise from malnutrition and improving the nutritional status of man in general and of infants, children, and mother in particular.Therefore, as a recommendation, keeping hygienic milk production practices at household level and farm is important for human health.