Microbiological quality of goat milk on rural properties in the region of Macaíba/RN

Abstract

Goat’s milk is an excellent food that can guarantee beneficial effects to human health, but its characteristics are easily altered by the action of microorganisms and by manipulation. The present study aimed to evaluate the microbiological quality of goat milk in 11 farms in the region of Macaíba/RN. Samples of milk and swabs from the hands of milkers, utensils and goat teats were collected and transported in a thermal box (10 ºC – 12 ºC) to the Laboratory of Food Engineering of UFRN. The microorganisms studied were the aerobic mesophilic bacteria, psychrotrophic, coagulase positive and negative staphylococci, coliforms at 35 ºC and 45 ºC. Regarding the hands of milkers, 56% presented contamination by aerobic mesophilic bacteria. In the analyzed utensils were found, in 18.2%, coliforms at 45 ºC and coagulase positive staphylococci, as well as coagulase negative staphylococci (63.6%) and coliforms at 35 ºC in 27.3% of the samples. For cold raw goat milk, 10% of the samples presented contamination with psychrotrophic and 17% with coliforms at 45 ºC. Regarding goat teats, 52% of the samples had aerobic mesophilic bacteria counts above 103 CFU/ceiling, 61% presented coagulase negative staphylococci and 10% coagulase positive staphylococci, this one of the main agents causing mastitis. Thus, these values indicate that hygienic procedures need to be adopted appropriately in the milking of raw goat milk, requiring guidelines that enable producers to obtain higher quality milk.