PROTOCOLS FOR CLEAN MILK PRODUCTION & MILKING TECHNIQUES OF DAIRY CATTLE IN INDIA

The international dairy and food safety standards describe milk drawn from the udder of

healthy animals, collected in clean dry milking pails and free from extraneous matter

like dust, dirt, ies, hay, manure etc., has normal composition, possesses natural milk avour with low bacterial count and is safe for human consumption as Clean Milk. Since it is free from extraneous material, it has high keeping quality and commercial value and therefore can be transported for a long distance without its quality change. Dairy products prepared from such milk will be of high quality and long shelf life.

Milk, naturally, is sterile when secreted into an uninfected udder, but catches

contamination during and after milking and subsequent processing like cooling and storage.

In case the animal is from mastitis affected, the naturally secreted milk will be with high

microbial load indicated by high somatic cell count. Milk is a highly nutritious medium

which provides conducive environment for growth of bacteria, yeasts and moulds that are

the common contaminants. High temperatures favour the growth of bacteria and spoiled the

milk. Better management and good techniques of milking are essential for maximizing milk

production and mastitis prevention and hence minimizing economic loss to the farmers.

Village entrepreneurship is the main stay for bringing India as number one milk producer in the world. As a result there is limited scope for mechanizing milking procedures but does not mean that India cannot produce clean milk. By launching vigorous campaign, clean milk can be produced by good animal Husbandry practices in villages, small farms with the help of Dairy Development Boards, different Cooperative Dairy Federations etc.

Strategies for clean milk production—–

The first step to clean milk production should be education and training of milk producers on hygiene, housekeeping, sanitation, milking methods and good animal husbandry practices.

1. Awareness and training: Educational aids and programmes should be organized for the farmers for making them aware of the importance of clean milk production. This should be in the form of charts/posters displayed at village, society and milk collection centres. Make them aware of the correct handling of the milk from udder to reception dock, maintenance of hygienic environment, clean utensils to availability of milk cooling bulk tanks and coolers.

2. Feeding practices: The feeds and fodder of the animals should not introduce directly or indirectly microbiological or chemical contaminants in the milk in amounts that is unacceptable to health. Feed fodder and silage should be procured from a reliable source and should be stored properly.

3. Housing management: The shed should be comfortable and clean with suitable arrangement to dispose dung, urine, feed and fodder residues. There should be proper supply of clean drinking water and electricity. The shed should be washed before milking.

Sanitation and Disinfection of the Animal Houses——

• Cleaning and sanitation are complementary. By sanitation we adopt hygienic measures aiming at creating conducive to health of animals and assuring product quality.

• The measures include proper cleaning of habituation, adequate drainage system, adequate lighting of building and sheds, proper ventilation and proper disinfection measures.

• It involves cleaning of bedding material like sawdust, paddy, straw etc. once daily

• Watering and feeding material to be thoroughly cleaned

• In case of mud floor, a top of 12-15 cm soil is removed and replaced with clean soil

• Cleaning and washing of milk parlors

• Sloped drains having width of 6-12 inches and 2 inch depth. It should maintain a proper gradient of 1 in 60 for easy flow of drain water.

• Provide adequate lighting

• Provide proper ventilation

• Disinfect the houses by washing the houses with boiling water, flame blower or by using suitable disinfectants such as formaldehyde, phenols, cresols, washing soda, quick lime, bleaching powder etc.

• The hygiene and sanitation process practiced in a dairy herd can not only keep the animal and surrounding healthy but will also find its way for export of milk and milk products thereby, enhancing the efficiency of livestock and its productivity, survivability and longevity.

4. Handling of milking vessels: The milking vessel should be made of stainless steel. It should be cleaned before and after milking with hot water and certified detergents/chemicals. It should have small mouth. The milker should wear clean clothes and maintain personal hygiene. He should wash his hands before milking and should not spit or smoke. Shaving the hair of the hind legs and tail should be carried out routinely. Also the fore milk should be discarded in a proper place.

5. Udder Hygiene:—-

• Effective milking practice is one important criterion in order to produce safe and suitable milk; failure of which may introduce contamination of milk. From an ethological perspective, the cow rests in a lying position, which inevitably leads to contact of the udder skin with filth on the bedding surface. As much as 1 x 1010 of total microorganisms can be found in one gram of filth from the udder surface.

• With unsuitable udder hygiene, the microorganisms present on the teat skin can contaminate the milk during milking or through the teat tip will penetrate the teat canal increasing the possibility of mastitis. Hence it is necessary to implement hygienic-prophylactic measures in maintaining cleanliness and udder health before and after milking of dairy herds, with the aid of disinfecting agents.

• There are many procedures for udder hygiene prior to milking such as:

• washing by spraying water and wiping of teats

• washing of teats with a cloth immersed in warm disinfectant solution and drying with a dry cloth

• immersing of teats in disinfectant and wiping with a paper cloth.

• Appropriate hygiene, such as dry cleaning, is necessary for lowering teat contamination whereas only the substantially soiled udders require washing with water. Therefore, if the udder is not substantially soiled, the teats should be immersed in active foam disinfectant and wiped with disposable paper cloths after 1-2 minutes.

• Disinfection prior to milking by immersing teats in a special cup, containing active foam based on surface active compounds, organic acids and hydrogen peroxide, and disinfection after milking by immersing teats in the agent containing 1.94% linear dodecyl-benzene sulphonic acid (LDBS) and skin care substances.

• The implementation of udder hygiene after milking is a very rational method for maintaining acceptable udder health status, and is conducted by immersing teats in a disinfecting agent. This procedure removes the milk droplets that are left behind which can serve as a breeding ground for surrounding pathogenic microorganisms. Subsequent drying of the disinfectant creates a thin layer over the teat orifice, mechanically preventing the incursion of microorganisms through the teat canal.

• The benefits are manifested through a decrease in post secretory milk contamination, reduction of udder infections by so-called environmental microbes, and by a decrease in the number of subclinical mastitis.

• Nowadays, the priority in conducting udder hygiene is given to ecologically acceptable disinfecting agents that are not harmful to animals and the environment.

6. Health management: Good animal husbandry practices including regular monitoring of disease such as mastitis should be a part of the routine work. During milking, using teat dips, and washing of udder should be an ongoing activity of the dairy farm. Sick animal shed should be far away from the milking barn and separated from the healthy ones. The healthy animals must be milked first. Improper use of veterinary drugs should be avoided.

7. Milk collection and transportation: There should be a provision of bulk cooling tanks in order to reduce the bacteriological load in the milk immediately after collection. Introducing differential pricing system based on bacteriological quality of milk will help in overall improvement of milk quality reaching the dairy dock. Other prerequisites for clean milk production include hygienic norms, good animal husbandry practices and proper handling, storage and transportation of milk are important elements to produce quality milk. The lids of the milk cans should fit tightly preventing from entry of rain and dust. The cans should be stored in an inverted condition on stand. Excessive agitation while transportation should be avoided. When milk is agitated, the milk fat is destabilised which becomes easily oxidised. The milk tanker should have proper insulation. The number of spoilage bacteria in raw milk depends on the level of hygiene during milking and the cleanliness of the vessels used for storing and transporting the milk. During the first 2–3 hours after milking, raw milk is protected from spoilage by inherent natural antibacterial substances that inhibit the growth of spoilage bacteria. However, if the milk is not cooled, these antibacterial substances break down causing bacteria to multiply rapidly. Cooling milk to less than 10°C may prevent spoilage for up to three days. High storage temperatures result in faster microbial growth and hence faster milk spoilage.

Good practices for clean milk production —–

• Milking area should be ventilated, located separately, free from bad smells, odour

and other disturbances.

• Mud, urine, faeces, and feed residues should be removed from the milking shed.

• Stress reduces the milk letdown process hence handle the animal calmly for

maximum production.

• Wash teats and udder with clean water and wipe with cloth dipped and squished in

disinfectant .

• Animals should be periodically examined for udder swelling, pain and use foremilk

from each quarter for infection detection in strip- cup.

• After milking, milk should be ltered through ne sieve, covered and keep in cold

place.

• While using machine milking, attach the milking unit within one minute after the start

of stimulation • Milk from animals being treated for mastitis should not be allowed mixing with normal milk.

• Post milking teat dipping is essential for mastitis control in lactating animals.

• There should be a well-dened ‘dry cow therapy’ for taking care of mastitis effected

animals during resting stage of udder in dried animals

In farms where weaning is not practiced, allow the calf for suckling or led down

before start of milking but teat should be wiped with a dipped and squeezed in some

antiseptic solution and clean with dry cloth. Before start of milking some feed or concentrate

may also provided to the animal so that milking can be performed without any disturbance.

Apart from cleanliness of

animal, the milkers as well as the milking

pails/utensils should also be clean. The

milker should wear clean dress and cover

their heads with suitable cap/cloth to

protect fallen of loose hairs into milk.

Nails of milkers should be well trimmed

and hands washed with disinfectant and

wiped with towel before and after

milking .Milkers with ill and

having lthy habits like sneezing, spilling, blowing nose, infection on the hands etc. should not be allowed, only healthy milker are to be allowed for milking.

Lactating buffaloes become habituated to certain routines and sudden change in the routine will disturb the buffalo resulting decline in the milk yield, it should be brought gradually. First calver buffalo are very sensitive and start kicking due to tickle hence only experienced milker should milk these animals. Milkers should be rotate among the buffaloes so that the animal will get accustomed to all instead of single.

After each milking, pails and cans should rst be washed with warm water, scrubbed

well with detergent or sanitizer and then rinsed well with clean water. Keep the milking

pails/cans in the revert position on stand for dry. Clean milking pails should be joint less dome-shaped top/ wide mouth and broad base of stainless steel used .

Milking methods—

Teat is the rst line of defence against mastitis pathogens. The milking process may affect

teat’s condition, increasing the risk of mastitis. It is well-proven that teat-ends with severe

erosions or broken skin will have an increased risk of mastitis. Majority of buffalo owner’s

follow the hand milking while only a few commercial dairies use machine milking.

2.1 Hand milking—-

Hand milking is a manual and labour intensive with low costs. Milking is an art which

require experience and skill. Milking should be done gently, quickly, neatly and completely.

Hand milking is done using clean and dry hands. It is performed by massaging and pulling

down the teats, squirting the milk into milking pail. Hand milking exerts pressure in the teat

ejecting milk out. For hygienic milk production milking clothes, buckets, udders and hands

should be clean. Teats of buffaloes are various in size and shapes therefore, majority of

farmers hand milking is practiced from left side in buffaloes. The order of milking the

various teats also differs. Milkers may milked the teats cross wise. Hand milking is also done

by three methods: (i) stripping, (ii) knuckling and (iii) full hand milking. Out of these three

methods the Knuckling and full-hand milking are the two commonly used for milking in

buffaloes.

(i) Full hand method: In this method hold the whole teat in between thumb and the rst

nger encircling the teat. The base of the teat is closed in the ring formed by the thumb and

forenger so that milk trapped in the teat sinus may not go back into the gland eastern.

Simultaneously, increase the pressure on teat by squeezed between the middle, ring and little

ngers and the hollow of palm, thus, forcing the milk out .This process should be

repeated in quick succession. By maintaining a quick succession of alternate compressions

and relaxations the alternate streams of milk from the two teats sound like one continuous

stream. Milking by this method animals feel good, no stress on animals during milking and

animals became cool and calm.

(ii) Knuckling Method: It is also similar to

full hand milking method. In this method the

milkers tend to bend their thumb in, against the teat

and the rst nger encircling the teat .

Simultaneously, increase the pressure on teat by

squeezing between the middle, ring and little

ngers and the folded thumb, thus, forcing the milk

out. It creates excessive pressure on teat and

continuous milking with this method can damage

the teats affecting milk production as well as beauty of animals. Animal feels discomfort during milking hence not advised to be practiced.

(iii) Stripping method: Stripping

consists of rmly seizing the teat at its

base between the thumb and forenger

and drawing down the entire length of the

teat pressing it simultaneously to cause

the milk to ow down in a stream .

The process is repeated in quick

succession. Both hands may be used,

each holding different teat, stripping

alternately. Milkers generally use this

method for rst calvers as the teats are of small size or at the last stage of the milking. Stripping causes more irritation to teats due to repeated sliding of ngers on teats, sometimes teats of animal become injured which causes mastitis. This method is discomfort to buffaloes so it should be avoided.

Full hand milking removes milk quicker than stripping and knuckling because of no

loss of time in changing the position of the hand. Buffaloes with large teats are milked by full-

hand and knuckling method. Full-hand method is safe and superior to stripping and knuckling

method as it simulates the natural suckling process by calf. In spite of these drawbacks when

all milk that is available is drawn out by full-hand method, stripping should be resorted to with

a view to milk the animal completely; the last drawn milk is called stripping and is richer in fat.

Post-milking teat disinfectants ——

The appropriate use of teat disinfecting products reduces mastitis rates and the need for antibiotic use. Just after milking Clean the milking pail by an initial rinse in clean water, followed by scrubbing in a hot detergent/disinfectant solution and nally rinse with fresh water. All equipment must be drained and dry between milking’s interval.

2.2 Machine milking :——-

Machine milking works on the principle of vacuum just like the calf sucking its mother. The

Vacuum applied to the teat opens the liner (milking phase) and milk ows down, then the

atmospheric air is allowed to enter thus causing liner to close (massage phase). Automatic

milking refers to the extraction of milk from buffaloes without human labour. Farmers can

select automation as per their needs and budget. In machine milking systems, dairy farmers

can reduce costs of labour for milking process. Farmers give more time to focus on farm

management issues such as feeding, breeding, health and hygiene. In machine milking

important consideration have to be considered as any negligence can cause adverse effect on

the animals’ health and milk production. The operator has to check the milking vacuum,

vacuum level, pulsation rate and pulsation ratio. Also monitor the milking attachment so for

avoiding over or under-milking. Over-milking can damage teat ends and leads to mastitis.

Bucket machine milking: ——

Bucket milking machines were developed to mechanise

onsite milking. Each portable unit, consisting of a 15 litre

capacity lidded bucket, pulsator and teat-cup assembly

or cluster, requires manual attachment to a vacuum

supply when it is moved from animal to animal during

milking .Milk is tipped from the buckets into

milk cans for transportation and storage in cold place.

The system is mechanically simple with relatively

requires low investment, running and maintenance costs

in comparison to line milking machines in parlours.

Direct-to-Can milking ——-

Direct-to-can milking is a very simple, low cost system of

milking, cooling and cleaning specially devised for abreast

parlour milking. Milk is drawn directly from udder to milk

can, eliminating milk lifting, carrying and tipping and thus

enabling each operator to manage 4 or 5 milking units

effectively (Pipeline milking: Pipeline milking is a high investment,

low labour cost system, suited to large sized herds Milk is

transported direct from udder to refrigerated bulk milk tank

for cooling and storage and plant cleaning is done in-situ.

In addition, devices can be inserted into the milking

pipeline to reveal clinical signs of mastitis, indicate the

milk yield from each buffalo, allow samples to be taken and

automatically remove the cluster when milk ow ceases.

Pedometer is also xed by which animal can be sorted

for estrus.

Prevention of post-milking infection:—

Post milking

disinfection is the most effective way to prevent the spread

of mastitis. After milking teat canal remained open and

mastitis causative pathogen can easily enter through teat

orice. After completion of milking, animal feels tired and seek relaxation by lying down immediately. The oor is usually spread with waste feed, dung and urine, which are source of infection through teats. So keep animals in standing position at least 20-30 minutes after milking – by sending them to the feeding area/grazing. Always use teat dip just after milking. Milking system should be sterile hence run a complete cleaning cycle by using appropriate detergents and sanitizer after every milking.