THE WAY TO PRODUCTION OF QUALITY MILK
Dr. Rupendra kumar
PhD Scholar, LPM department, ICAR-NDRI, Karnal, India
ABSTRACT
In today’s competitive local and global market, the quality of milk is as much important as the quantity of milk to get maximum profit. With growing health concerns among the consumers, it is necessary to maintain quality milk production. Only healthy cows managed under hygienic and clean environment can produce quality milk. Mastitis, udder infections and general infections are some of the major reasons for decreasing the milk quality. An effective mastitis control program can be an efficient approach. Once the milk is drawn out of the cow, the retention or preservation of milk quality requires cleanliness, sanitation and careful handling. Quality milk production requires safer strategies to be adopted at each stage of production. Regular screening of animals and milk handlers for infectious and general diseases can help in better management and production of quality milk and milk products for consumption.
KEYWORDS: California mastitis test (CMT), chlorhexidine, dry cow therapy, somatic cell count, strip cup, Teat dip.
INTRODUCTION
FAO describes good quality raw milk as one that is free from debris, sediment and off-flavors, low in bacterial numbers, has normal composition and acidity and is free of antibiotics and chemical residues. Maintaining the quality of milk is not a one step process but it NDS interventions at several steps of milk production i.e. it involves healthy cows, hygienic cow environment, right milking system, clean milking practices or procedures and appropriate milk storage or cooling system. Any lacunae in the overall system will result in decreased milk quality. Hygiene and health status of milking personnel is equally important. Dirty clothes and dirty hands, illness, open wounds increase the risk of contamination of the cow and milking system. Timely detection of mastitis affected animals and therapeutic intervention of a qualified veterinarian must not be neglected.
a) The environmental conditions of the barn and the milking area
A poorly maintained, dirty, muddy environment, poorly maintained free-stalls or bedded-pack, inadequate ventilation directly or indirectly contributes towards decreasing the milk quality. On one hand, such conditions enhance bacterial growth, depresses cow’s immune system and also the poor air quality of barn and milking area leads to development of off flavors in milk. The entire milking centre and milking system should be cleaned and sanitized (sanitizing solution should be maintained between 95°F and 110°F) within one hour of milking time to reduce the risk of contamination and to decrease the erratic bacterial count.
b) The appropriate cleaning strategy and chemical to clean the utensils and milking system
The milking utensils used during hand milking and the milking machines must be kept clean and hygienically safe. Improper cleaning deteriorates milk quality and also leads to mineral accumulation in the milking system. A right chemical inappropriate concentration should be used for a complete wash cycle. The temperature range for maximum effectiveness of each chemical must be considered and it must match with the water temperature used in the cleaning system.
c) Cooling of milk
Cooling is essential to avoid deterioration in milk quality. Milk must be cooled quickly to 5°C or less within 60 minutes and then stored at 4-5°C.
d) Limiting the prevalence of udder infections, such as mastitis
The problem of mastitis is very common among cows in Indian conditions. As the condition is multifactorial, several different steps/ practices are useful to control it in dairy herds which are mentioned below
i) Inculcating proper hygienic measures in the herd
The sanitary measures that can be followed regularly include sanitizing the hands of milkers, milking machines and washing the teats with disinfectant solution before and after milking, followed by wiping off each teat with a separate clean towel to avoid the transfer of infection from one teat to other if there is any unnoticed infection already present. Iodophor solution with 0.1 to 1.0% available iodine, 4% solution of Sodium hypochlorite, 0.3% aqueous solution of Chlorhexidine, 0.5 or 1% Chlorhexidine in polyvinyl pyrrolidone solution can be used as udder disinfectants. It is important to remove all the organic matter from the teats by washing them clearly before applying the disinfectant to increase their effectiveness.
ii) Adoption of a proper milking procedure
The small farmers with fewer animals usually perform hand milking whereas, for cows that are maintained in herds, mostly machine milking is preferred. Rapid and full hand milking ensures the harvesting of more milk and also prevents any teat injury. Hence, it is the most desirous way of hand milking. The milking machines on the other hand must be properly disinfected before and after use. The milking unit must be attached properly to each teat. Developing optimum pressure and maintaining a permissible pulsation rate is very important. Any infected animal in the herd should be milked at last. The milking equipment must be inspected routinely. The fore and rare teat milk should be checked at regular intervals using a strip cup or California mastitis test (CMT) for detecting any possible mastitis infection at the earliest.
iii) Following Dry cow therapy
Dry cow therapy is one of the valuable ways of improving the health of cow’s udder while the cows are not lactating. The initial and final two to three of the gestation periods are very critical and vulnerable to new infections. The following procedure can be used for dry cow therapy: Once complete milking and drying of all the teats is done, dipping them in an effective teat dip and disinfecting each teat end with alcohol-soaked cotton swab and infusing a single dose syringe of a recommended antibiotic like long-acting antibiotic preparations which include erythromycin, benzathine Cephapirin, novobiocin, benzathine cloxacillin, benzathine penicillin, etc. proves as an effective therapy. Immediately after treatment, all the teats must again be dipped in an effective teat dip (iodophor or hypochlorite).
iv) For afflicted animals, prompt diagnosis and therapeutic intervention
Successful treatment of the disease depends on the earliest possible detection of mastitis, preferably when it is present in the sub-clinical form. The most convenient and best method for early detection is the monthly screening of all quarters sample using the California Mastitis Test (CMT) and monitoring Somatic Cell Count (SCC) on a regular basis. High somatic cell counts in milk indicate an increased presence of white blood cells, which is a signal that the cow is fighting an illness. Other types of somatic cells can degrade the fat and protein content in milk thus reducing the quality of the milk. Strip cup is yet another easy test that can easily detect clinical mastitis. Antibiotic therapy should be given only after conducting the sensitivity test by using single dose tubes instead of multiple dose bottles to avoid contamination. Cow with confirmed mastitis must be segregated from the rest of the herd and milked and treated separately besides adopting proper hygienic measures. If the mastitis turns to chronic form i.e. three or more episodes in lactation, then selective culling should be practised.
v) Goals for udder health status and appropriate record keeping
Proper record keeping is the essence of proper monitoring. Periodic review of the udder health management programme helps in timely corrective interventions. Establishment of realistic periodic targets for various udder health parameters is the final step of a complete udder health management program. The goals should be realistic.
CONCLUSIONS:
The price of the milk that a farmer gets is determined by its quality i.e. fat percent and SNF percent. Thus the quality of milk is as important as the quantity of milk. Every aspect of the milk production system needs to be looked at and evaluated carefully for safer milk production. Good quality milk is also essential for the production of good quality dairy products, taste and flavour, free from pathogens and long keeping quality. Good quality dairy products cannot and can never be made from poor quality raw milk. All efforts made to milk hygiene and quality production destination is to get wholesome milk and milk products which can satisfy all the needs of the consumer.
Email I’d – rupeivri2@gmail.com
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