Raw milk hygiene at farms, processing units and local markets in Burkina Faso

The aim of this study was to investigate raw milk hygiene and composition along the dairy chain in Burkina Faso. Milk samples were taken during the rainy and dry seasons from individual cows, farm tanks, milk collectors’ churns, dairy processing unit tanks and at local markets. The results showed lower total bacteria count (10–104 cfu/ml) in individual cow milk than later in the dairy chain. The total bacteria count in farm tank milk was 106 cfu/ml and 107 cfu/ml in tank milk at dairy processing units, in milk collectors’ churns and in market buckets. Somatic cell count (100,000–150,000 cells/ml) did not show significant variation between individual cow milk and in the rest of the chain. Higher pH and lower milk fat and lactose contents were found in market bucket milk than in farm and processing unit tank milks. It was concluded that milk from the cow is of good hygienic quality, but milk is often contaminated after milking, and the hygienic quality is very low when it reaches the consumers. Also, milk sold at local markets had low fat and lactose contents and high pH during the rainy season, indicating that the milk may have been diluted, which may further increase the hazards for human health.