MICROBIAL QUALITY AND HYGIENIC PRACTICES OF MILK AND MILK PRODUCTS IN SULULTA TOWN, OROMIA REGIONAL STATE, ETHIOPIA

Milk is lacteal secretion produced by mammalians to feed their young. It also serves as an excellent medium for growth of many kinds of microorganisms. This study was conducted to investigate the microbiological quality of dairy products collected from farmer households and vendors and assess risk factors associated with milk contamination and hygienic hadling practices in Sululta town. A total of 72 dairyproduct samples were colleted from farmer households and vendorsby sterile bottles and placed in a cool box with ice packs to reduce change in microbial count and analyzed for their microbial quality. The samples were analyzed for their microbial quality in terms of total plate count, coliform count, Enterobacteriaceae count, yeast and mould count by using plate count agar, violate red bile lactose agar, MacConkey agar and dichloran-rose bengal chloramphenicol agar respectivel. The overaal mean of total plate count in raw milk obtained from households and vendors in the current study were 8.46±0.02 and 8.55±0.54 log cfu/mL, coliform count 4.46 ±0.5 and 4.67±0.42 logcfu/mL, enterobacteriaceae count 5.87±0.56 and 6.08±0.68 log cfu/mL and no yeast and mould. The total mean of total plate count, coliform count, enterobacteriaceae count and yeast and mould count in yoghurt collected from farmers and vendors in the present study were; 9.43±0.17 and 9.49±0.38, 4.62±0.74 and 4.75±0.45, 4.64± 0.76 and 4.89±0.52 and 8.18±0.45 and 8.20±0.45 log cfu/g. The mean value of total plate count, coliform count, enterobacteriaceae count and yeast and mould count in cheese samples collected from farmers and milk vendors in the current study were 7.14±0.66 and 7.32±0.3, 4.30±0.56 and 4.50±0.86, 5.92±0.8 and 6.32±0.55 and 8.17±0.45 and 8.24±0.35 respectively. Milk hygiene handling practices in the study area is below the standard due to insufficient pre-milking post harvest handling practices. Therefore, Putting in place useful quality control system is an important tool to bring improvement in dairy product.