Microbiological monitoring of raw milk from selected farm in the Trentingrana region

Abstract

A study was conducted to monitor raw milk hygiene, and to understand the relationship between different bacterial groups found in raw milk collected from stables in the Trentingrana area. Twenty stables in Trento province were sampled. Each farmer provided one milk sample every 2 months for 8 months. The milk samples were examined for total bacterial count, coliforms, enterococci, psycrotrophic, acidificant and proteolytic microflora. The bacterial counts of four milk samples for each stable, examined over an 8-months period were averaged and expressed as mean bacterial count per milliliter. In most samples, coliforms and enterococci were below 2Log cfu/ml; this suggests that herds and milking hygiene were well controlled by all farmers. The milk refrigeration practice seems to have no influence on the growth of its microflora but to affect that of acidifying and proteolytic bacteria.