Risk and benefits of human consumption of raw and pasteurized cow's milk

ABSTRACT

In the context of the prevailing trend towards more natural products, there seems to be an increasing preference for raw milk consumption as raw milk is associated with several perceived health benefits that are believed to be destroyed upon heating. However, many human pathogens can be isolated from raw cow’s milk and these pathogens vary from campylobacter to Escherichia coli. The aim of this review is to highlight the risk and benefits related to the consumption of raw and pasteurized cow’s milk so as to enable us create awareness to consumers on the accrued benefits and the risks associated with the consumption of these products. Some of the accrued benefits of raw milk include; the reduction of allergies, improvement of skin health, contains living and beneficial micro-organisms, richness in food enzymes and natural vitamins. In as much as raw milk is loaded with a lot of benefit, it also has some risks associated with its consumption. They include; prevalence of human pathogen which could lead to food-borne diseases (FBDS). Pasteurized milk on the other hand has some benefits such as reducing the risks of food-borne diseases and the shortcomings include destruction of natural antibodies, enzymes and other bio-active components. In this review, the microbial aspects as well as the nutritional aspects are considered. Also, it would be seen that consumption of raw milk poses a realistic health threat due to possible contamination with human pathogens. It is therefore recommended that milk should be heated before consumption. With the exception of an altered organoleptic profile or properties, heating will not substantially change the nutritional value of raw milk or other benefits associated with raw milk consumption.