Department of Veterinary

Public Health & Epidemiology

Milk and their sources of

contamination

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 Milk

Milk: The wholesome, fresh, clear lacteal secretion

obtained by the complete milking of one or more
apparently healthy udders, excluding that obtained within
15 days before or 5 days after calving or such periods as
may be necessary to render the milk colostrum free, and
containing the minimum prescribed percentage of milk fat
and milk solids-not-fat.”

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• Apparently healthy animal: Milk is relatively free of pathogenic bacteria.

• Gets contaminated when comes in contact with external environment.

• Serious deterioration in the microbiological quality due to

 Lack of hygiene
 Unsatisfactory chilling facilities
 Improper post production storage
 Improper handling of milk and milk products.

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 Sources of Contamination of raw milk
Practice at organized and unorganized dairies
Interior of the udder:
Generally acquired from the walls of the ducts along the teat canal.

 Introduced in the milk through the teat:

 during treatment with contaminated intra-mammary preparations or
 from the environment of the animal.
Subsequently washed out in the first few streams of milk.

The microbial load in freshly drawn milk varies with individual animals.

The cleanliness of quarters and the health of dairy animals contribute

significantly.

 Usually the bacterial count of milk varies between 500 and 1000/ml.
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  Tests and control
The elimination of disease producing bacteria in milk pose a major public for tuberculosis
health hazard. (SID/DID)
Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Brucella sp. and Streptococcus  Tests and control
pyogenes, Coxiella burnetti. for Brucellosis
 Coliforms

Control measures:

Animals should be tested regularly for tuberculosis and brucellosis.

Cows should be stabled in clean stalls and pastured in drier areas, free of
swamps and stagnant water / wash water that contaminate the teat canals
mainly with coliforms.

 A few streams of milk should therefore, always discarded before collection

of milk.
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Environmental:
• Condition of the cow-shed: contamination of flanks, tail and udder
• The microorganisms in soil, discharges, straw, dust etc. accumulated
 Faecal coliforms
on the surface of body----dislodged during the milking -----contribute
a load of 10,000 bacteria or more per ml of milk.
• The presence of pathogens such as coliforms (fecal coliforms) may
cause summer complaint or infantile diarrhoea.
Control:
• Hygienic methods in cow-sheds helps in maintaining clean stalls.

• Wipening of flanks and udder with a clean damp cloth soaked in 1%

KMnO4 just before milking

• Use of small mouthed container for collection of milk

• Properly
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sterilized milking machine 7
Milker or Handler:
• Suffering from disease such as typhoid fever, diphtheria, scarlet fever, septic
sore throat and tuberculosis, coughs and colds may contaminate milk or milk
products.

Control:
• Regular Health checkup

• Diseased individual or carrier should not allowed to handle milk or milk

products.

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Utensils:
The most prolific source of microorganisms.
A milk can or bucket improperly washed, inadequately sanitised or dried or a dirty
milking machine are a fertile source of milk contamination.
Utensils washed with contaminated water: water borne diseases.
Control:
 Thorough cleansing, followed by sterilisation of utensils.

 After washing, buckets and milk cans should be rapidly dried and kept in a dry
place.

 At the farm level, there is an utmost need of constant attention to details of

hygiene and sanitation.

 Since man is a direct / indirect source of contamination, he should exercise every

hygienic precaution to ensure safety of milk and milk products.
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Wholesaler, retailer and the vendor:

The main sources of contamination of milk are milk cans and buckets used for
transport of milk as well as the dippers used to draw milk from the cans.

The containers if not cleaned well, are potential sources of pathogens

The pathogens gain entry through contaminated water supplies, carrier individuals
handling and fecal contamination.

Improper washing and cleansing of the cans / containers can cause a build up of
milk residues that facilitate the growth of micro-organims like Staphylococcus
aureus, Bacillus cereus and fungi.

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These organisms may get released into milk during refilling of the can.

Spoilage organisms such as Bacillus sp. as well as yeast and molds, thrive in milk adulterated with
contaminated water.

Control:
• Improve the standard of personal hygiene of the staff.
•
• Cleaning of containers with hot water and caustic soda / bleaching powder (2%) immediately after emptying
their contents and allowing them to dry before refilling.

• The dipper should also be washed and sterilized in a similar manner.

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Storage of raw milk in chilling tanks at milk processing units and bulk containers:

• Milk brought to the cities by tankers is first emptied into chilling plants (bulk containers) at the milk
processing units (0° - 4°C).

• Contamination with S. aureus, yeasts and coliforms at this point occurs through improperly cleaned or
sanitized milking equipment and non potable water used for washing.

• Mastitic streptococci are derived only from mastitis milk mixed with other milk at the farm level and
primary milk collection centers.

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• Mold contamination occurs mainly through aerosols under humid conditions within improperly cleaned and
disinfected plants.

• Both yeasts and molds reduce the keeping quality by increasing the acidity in milk and developing off
flavours.

• Organisms causing enteric fever and dysentry like Shigella sp. are also contracted through bad hygiene.

Control measures:
• Immediate washing of bulk containers / tanks with hot water, caustic soda / bleaching powder after
emptying milk

• Sterilized with the help of hot steam jets.

• Proper cleaning of plant premises with hypochlorite also reduces the load of bacteria and molds in the
atmosphere of the processing plant.
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Transport of raw milk by rail / road tankers:

 Improper maintenance of milk tankers adds to the microbiological contamination in milk.

The longer time leads to higher load of bacterial and fungal agents.

 The ecological and the local climatic conditions tend to vary from region to region.

 The bacterial counts and species differ with seasons.

Pathogenic bacteria, yeasts and mold multiply rapidly in summer as compared to winter or monsoon seasons.

One of the sources of contamination in tankers is accumulation of milk solid residues inside the gauges, taps,
pipes etc. which act as a foci for microbial growth.

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Some of the psychrotrophs such as Pseudomonas sp. produce extracellular enzymes leads to off flavours.

Heat resistant organisms may survive even after pasteurization resulting in loss of flavour, texture and
stability of milk.

Spore formers are found to be least in number during the monsoon season due to availability of fresh green
fodder, ample water and a relatively dust free environment.

Presence of pathogens, eg., S. aureus, enterotoxigenic E.coli, B. cereus etc. that originate mainly from the
handlers at the source of milking, remain in milk, producing heat stable toxins.

An overall absence or very low level of pathogens is requires to be ensured especially in tanker milk to be
pasteurized.

The load of organisms can be lowered by taking adequate hygienic precautions at the farm as well as by
regular cleansing and proper maintenance of tankers.
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