Microbiological monitoring of raw milk and yoghurt samples collected from El-Beida city

ABSTRACT

A total of 80 raw milk and yoghurt samples were randomly collected from different farms and retail markets of different sanitation levels and examined mycologically and bacteriologically at El-Beida city in Libya. Moulds and yeasts were detected in 80 and 50% of raw milk and yoghurtsamples, respectively, with respective mean values of 4.3 X10[5] +/- 2.5X 10[5] and 2.1 X10[4] +/- 1.9 X 10[4]. Aspergillus spp., Cladosporium spp., Mucor spp., Curvularia spp., Penicillium spp., Geotricum spp., Candida spp., Rhodotorula spp., Torulopsis spp. and Saccharomyces spp. could be isolated from both raw milk and yoghurt. Five samples of 40 raw milk once were positive for AFM1 with the mean value of 5 ppb. While in yoghurt samples, AFM1 were detected with mean value of 2.2 ppb among 3 samples of 40. Total counts of aerobic bacteria of examined raw milk and yoghurt samples were 6.1 X 10[5] +/- 5.5 X 10[5] and 6.5 X 10[5] +/- 6.0 X 10[5], respectively. While the mean coliform counts/ ml were 7.0 X10[6] +/- 5.0 X 10[6] and 6.0 X 10[3] +/- 4.0 X 10[3] for raw milk and yoghurt, respectively. Enterobacteriaceae counts /ml of raw milk and yoghurt samples were 2.6 X 10[6] +/- 5.5 x10[5] and 1.5 X 10[4] +/- 1.2 X 10[4]. The economic and public health situation of isolated fungi as well as the control measures for improving the quality of raw milk and milk products were discussed