Abstract:
Microbial contamination of milk is a worldwide problem. Milk is a highly nutritious food for humans, but it serves as an excellent medium for the growth of many bacterial organisms.
Several factors are known to predispose milk to contamination during production processes. In this study, the factors that predispose milk to contamination and the level of selected bacteria, i.e., E. coli and, Staphylococcus in the milk consumed in Okile Sub County, Kaberamaido district, were determined by using the pour plate technique. The factors that predispose milk to contamination noted in this study were, dirty animal houses, dirty milking area, not washing the teats before milking, not covering milk etc. Contaminated milk has direct nutritional and economic effects on livestock farmers. A total of 30 questionnaires were administered to 30 farmers, and 30 milk samples were collected. This is the first study that reports on the presence and the level of selected bacteria in the milk consumed in this locality. The level of E. coli ranged from 6.1 to 0.53 log 10. Staphylococcus levels ranged from 5.3 to 0.61 log 10. There was a significant difference between the levels of E. coli and Staphylococcus and the international reference values by the WHO and FAO (P<0.05). The levels of selected microbes were significantly higher than the recommended limits. Therefore, environment, production, and storage conditions have great influence on the milk bacterial quality. There is need by the farmers to stick to good hygienic practices during milk production processes.
