engleski

Role of disinfection in premilking reduction of udder bacterial count

Microbiologic quality of raw milk is the main indicator of its appropriateness for further processing into consumer milk and milk products. In milk production, animal health and optimal hygienic milking conditions are of crucial importance. The animals used for milk production must be regularly examined and healthy, thus the majority of bacteria reach milk via udder contamination during the process of milking. That is usually caused by inappropriate preparation of udder for milking. Therefore, the aim of the study was to assess the extent to which the introduction of disinfection in the udder premilking treatment reduced the udder bacterial count as compared with udder wiping with cloth and water. Two groups of 10 milk cows each from the same herd were included in the study. In group 1 animals, swabs were obtained from udder surface before and after usual premilking treatment by wiping with cloth and warm water. In group 2 animals, swabs were obtained before and after premilking treatment by wiping with cloth and warm water, followed by disinfection with a disinfectant based on surface active substances, organic acids and hydrogen peroxide (P3-Oxy Foam, Ecolab Co., Croatia). Milk samples for determination of total microorganism count were collected from both animal groups. Results of the study showed the total aerobic mesophilic bacterial count to be significantly reduced (p<0.05) irrespective of the method of udder premilking treatment. The total count of aerobic mesophilic bacteria decreased by 54.5% after udder treatment with cloth and warm water, and by 88.1% after udder treatment with disinfectant in addition to cloth and warm water. Comparison of the two techniques of udder premilking treatment also yielded a significant difference in the total count of aerobic mesophilic bacteria (p<0.05), whereby the additional procedure of disinfection decreased the bacterial count by 69.3%. Also, the introduction of disinfection in udder preparation resulted in greater milk bacterial count decrease as compared with the standard procedure of udder wiping with cloth and warm water. Accordingly, premilking disinfection in addition to the usual udder washing reduced significantly the bacterial count on the udder skin, thus this method of sanitation can be recommended for use in the process of high-quality milk production intended for further processing.

milk; udder hygiene; cow; bacterial count

nije evidentirano