Evaluation of the physicochemical and hygienic quality of cow's milk and its derivatives in El Jadida city Morocco.

Background: Despite the efforts and investments made for traceability and the guarantee of a fair and safe milk product, the informal sector threatens the safety of milk. In fact, during this circuit, the product does not undergo any treatment and therefore presents serious risks for the health of the consumer. In this context, studies have been carried out on samples of peddled milk and products derived from it. Objective: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the relevance of the informal circuit in Morocco's Doukkala region (El Jadida Province) by physicochemical and microbiological investigation of raw milk and its derivatives at various points of sale. Materials and method: 84 samples were taken between (23 for raw milk, 30 for the «Lben¼, and 31 for the «Raib¼) between January 1st, 2021 and October 30th, 2021. According to Moroccan rules, microbiological analyses revealed an extremely high non-compliance rate in most samples obtained at the level of outlets situated in the El Jadida region, with a non-compliance ratio of 65 percent for raw milk sold, 70 percent for the «Lben¼, and 40 percent for the «Raib¼. Results: Likewise, these analyses revealed that majority of the samples did not fulfill international criteria for the pH values of raw milk samples «Lben¼ and «Raib¼, which are respectively between 5.85 and 6.71; 4.14 and 4.43 and 4.5. Other characteristics, including lactose, proteins, fat, mineral salts, density, and additional water, have also yielded results. Conclusion: This has allowed us to analyze the major impact of the peddling circuit at the regional level, which is a risk factor for consumer health.

Molecular characterization of bovine tuberculosis strains in two slaughterhouses in Morocco.

BACKGROUND: Bovine tuberculosis (BTB) is caused by Mycobacterium bovis, which belongs to the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. Mycobacterium bovis have been described to be responsible of most cases of bovine tuberculosis. Although M. tuberculosis, M. africanum and non-complex mycobacteria were isolated from cattle. In Morocco, so far, no molecular studies were conducted to characterize the strains responsible of BTB. The present study aims to characterize M. bovis in Morocco. The present study was conducted in slaughterhouses in Rabat and El Jadida. Samples were collected from 327 slaughtered animals with visible lesions suggesting BTB. RESULTS: A total of 225 isolates yielded cultures, 95% (n = 215) of them were acid-fast (AF). Sixty eight per cent of the AF positive samples were confirmed as tuberculous mycobacteria (n = 147), 99% of these (n = 146) having RD9 and among the latter, 98% (n = 143) positive while 2% (n = 3) negative for RD4 A total of 134 samples were analyzed by spoligotyping of which 14 were in cluster and with 41 different spoligotypes, ten of them were new patterns (23%). The most prevalent spoligotypes were SB0121, SB0265, and SB0120, and were already identified in many other countries, such as Algeria, Spain, Tunisia, the United States and Argentina. CONCLUSION: The shared borders between Algeria and Morocco, in addition to the previous importation of cattle from Europe and the US could explain the similarities found in M. bovis spoligotypes. On the other hand, the desert of Morocco could be considered as an efficient barrier preventing the introduction of BTB to Morocco from West Central and East Africa. Our findings suggest a low level endemic transmission of BTB similar to other African countries. However, more research is needed for further knowledge about the transmission patterns of BTB in Morocco.