Hygienic quality of raw and fermented cow milk in the local milk sector of the Liptako-Gourma area in Niger

Vet World Vol.15 June-2022 Article-18

Research Article

Veterinary World, 15(6): 1541-1549

https://doi.org/10.14202/vetworld.2022.1541-1549

Mariama Hima Gagara^1,2, Philippe Sessou¹, François S. P. Dossa¹, Paulin Azokpota³, Issaka A. K. Youssao¹, Soumana Abdoulaye Gouro⁴, and Souaibou Farougou¹

1. Communicable Diseases Research Unit (URMAT) of EPAC (Polytechnic School of Abomey-Calavi), University of Abomey Calavi, 01 BP 2009, Cotonou, Benin.
2. Central Livestock Laboratory (LABOCEL), BP 485 Niamey, Niger.
3. Food Formulations and Molecular Biology Laboratory, Faculty of Agronomic Sciences, University of Abomey-Calavi, 01 BP 526 Cotonou, Benin.
4. Faculty of Agronomy (FA), Abdou Moumouni University of Niamey, BP 10960 Niamey, Niger.

Background and Aim: Milk is a food of high nutritional value, which occupies an undeniable place in the human food ration, but is an ideal medium for microbial growth. This study aims to assess the hygienic quality of local raw and fermented milk from the Liptako-Gourma region in Niger.

Materials and Methods: We performed physical and bacteriological analyses on 330 samples of bovine milk from local breeds, including 110 individual milk samples (per cow), 110 fermented milk samples, and 110 blended milk samples. The microbiological parameters were determined using standard methods.

Results: The physical analysis revealed temperatures during sample collection for all milk types between 35.2°C and 37.8°C. The average pH of fermented milk varied between 3.16 and 4.92 and those of individual and blended raw milks between 5.42 and 6.98. The titratable acidity varied from 15° to 18.1°D for raw milk and between 59° and 122°D for fermented milk. The average density of individual and blended milks ranged between 1.028 and 1.035. Regionally, milk samples from Tillaberi had a significantly higher aerobic mesophilic germ (GAM) load (7.42 ± 0.53 × 107 Colony-forming unit/mL; p = 0.0025) compared to the Dosso and Niamey regions. The prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Salmonella spp. were 86.36%, 12.73%, and 20.91%, respectively, in fermented milk. Phenotypic identification pointed toward three genera: E. coli (30.76% ± 0.25%), S. aureus (20.58% ± 0.14%), and Salmonella spp. (2.74 ± 0.04%).

Conclusion: The present data suggest that milk samples collected from three regions in Liptako-Gourma had low quality; further, some of the bacteria identified (E. coli, S. aureus, and Salmonella spp.) could be potential foodborne pathogens. Keywords: bovine, fermented milk, microbiological quality, milk, physical parameters.

Keywords: bovine, fermented milk, microbiological quality, milk, physical parameters.

How to cite this article: Gagara MH, Sessou P, Dossa FSP, Azokpota P, Youssao IAK, Gouro SA, Farougou S (2022) Hygienic quality of raw and fermented cow milk in the local milk sector of the Liptako-Gourma area in Niger, Veterinary World, 15(6): 1541–1549.

Received: 12-12-2021 Accepted: 29-04-2022 Published online: 25-06-2022

Corresponding author: Mariama Hima Gagara E-mail: mamchka001@yahoo.fr

DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2022.1541-1549

Copyright: Gagara, et al. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http:// creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.