Microbiological Quality of Goat Milk in Degahbur District of Jarar Zone, Somali Regional State, Ethiopia

A cross-sectional study was carried out to evaluate microbiological quality of raw goat milk in Degahbur district of Jarar zone, Somali Regional State, Ethiopia. A total of 40 pooled raw goat milk samples (each with a volume of 450 mL) were collected from the udders and milk handling equipment of targeted goat milk producers in the study area. The milk samples were subjected to laboratory analysis to evaluate total bacterial count (TBC) and total coliform count (TCC) in order to determine the microbiological quality of the raw goat milk in the study area. The study showed that the mean total bacterial count (TBC) and total coliform count (TCC) for raw milk samples collected from the udder were 4.92 ± 0.23 and 2.68 ± 0.36 log10 cfu·mL-1, respectively. The mean counts for samples collected from milk equipment were 5.61 ± 0.32 and 3.93 ± 0.21 log10 cfu·mL-1 for TBC and TCC, respectively. The values for the samples collected from pastoral production system were 5.63 ± 0.13 and 4.02 ± 0.20 log10 cfu·mL-1 for TBC and TCC, respectively. The average means of TBC and TCC for samples collected from the agro-pastoral production system were 4.9 ± 0.41 and 2.59 ± 0.37 log10 cfu·mL-1, respectively. Significant difference (P 0.05) in mean TBC and TCC was observed between milk samples collected from pastoral and agro-pastoral production systems as well as milk samples collected from udders and milk handling equipment of the producers. It could be concluded that both TBC & TCC of goat milk samples collected from the udder as well as from the milk handling equipment of producers exceeded the acceptable limits. This indicated that production practices performed during milk production and postharvest handling in the study area were unhygienic. Therefore, hygienic and proper milk production procedures should be followed to improve the quality of goat milk for its intended use in the study area.

Handling and Hygienic Production Practices of Goat Milk in Degahbur District of Jarar Zone, Somali Regional State, Ethiopia

A cross-sectional study was carried out to assess handling and hygienic production practices of goat milk in Degahbur district of Jarar zone, Somali Regional State, Ethiopia. A total of 120 households were purposively selected for this study using a stratified sampling technique. The data were collected through the questionnaire, field observations, key informants interview and focus group discussions. The study showed that majority of the sampled households were illiterate. The goats were kept in an open kraal made of thorny acacia trees on an earthen floor that had no roof. The goats were milked inside these open kraals, and were sometimes contaminated with muck and animal dung mainly the rainy season which could raise the possibility of milk contamination & spoilage. Moreover, traditional hand milking was the only milking method and majority of the respondents didn’t wash their hands and the udder of the animal before milking, indicating low community awareness and knowledge of sanitary milk production procedures. Plastic equipment which is difficult to clean and can increase milk contamination and spoilage was used. About 43.3% of the pastoralists and 76.67% of the agro-pastoralists were cleaning milk vessels regularly. The most often used plant species for smoking milk handling equipment in the study area to extend shelf life and add flavor & aroma were Acacia ethaica, Blanites galabra, and Solanum Carense. The main constraints to hygienic goat milk in the area were identified to be poor barn hygiene, poor production procedures, disease, source of washing water and lack of extension services. In general, it can be concluded that handling and hygienic production practices of goat milk used in the study area were unsanitary, which may have been primarily caused by the community’s lack of awareness & understanding as well as a lack of supporting infrastructures. Therefore, the concerned bodies should place a high priority on the improvement of hygienic practices by carrying out various relevant development interventions, such as raising milk producers’ awareness, improving the health of goats, and providing the necessities for milk handling.