PRODUCTION PRACTICES, CHEMICAL COMPOSITION AND MICROBIAL QUALITY OF RAW COW MILK PRODUCED BY SMALL HOLDER DAIRY FARMERS IN DALE DISTRICT, SIDAMA NATIONAL REGIONAL STATE, ETHIOPIA.

Abstract

This study was carried out in Dale district to assess milk production practices, chemical composition, and microbial quality of raw cow milk from smallholder farms in both rural and urban areas. A mix of purposive and random sampling was used to select four kebeles. A total of 185 randomly selected farmers were interviewed using semi-structured questionnaires and key informant interviews. Sixty milk samples were collected from unidentified cross-bred cows for laboratory analysis. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data.Most dairy producers (89.2%) were male. In rural areas, 73.1% raised local breeds, while in urban areas, 29.4% did so. Artificial Insemination (AI) was the preferred breeding method for 49.9% of farmers. Daily milk yield was 1.91±0.61 liters (rural) and 2.27±0.63 liters (urban) for local breeds, and 5.29±0.72 liters (rural) and 7.17±0.82 liters (urban) for cross-breeds.The overall lactation periode of local breed cow 55.1%were 7-8 month while,Lactation periods of cross breeds cows48.6% were9-11 months, About 63.2% kept cattle in separate barns. Most rural barns had muddy floors (81.1%), while urban barns used concrete (62.7%). Bedding was mostly absent (77.8%). Nearly all rural farmers (97.8%) used manure as fertilizer, whereas urban farmers disposed of it. Barn cleaning was done once daily in rural (73.1%) and twice daily in urban areas (80.4%).All farmers practiced hand milking, and 89.2% milked twice daily. Rural farmers mostly stored milk in cool places, while urban farmers sold it immediately. Plastic containers were commonly used for milking (68.6%) and transport (65.4%). Almost all respondents cleaned milk equipment (98.9%) with hot and cold water. Most used Olea Africana smoke to clean containers (96.8%). However, 53.7% of rural farmers did not wash the udder before milking, compared to 74.5% of urban farmers who did. Only 45.5% used individual towels. Key issues affecting milk quality were lack of awareness, poor hygiene, no clean water, and absence of milk cooling systems.The average fat, protein, total solids, solids-not-fat, and lactose contents in rural milk samples were 4.30±0.42, 3.07±0.12, 12.81±0.80, 8.51±0.91, and 4.19±0.32, respectively. In urban areas, the values were 3.90±0.43, 3.04±0.28, 13.33±0.71, 8.43±0.80, and 4.25±0.29, respectively. The overall average values were 4.06±0.47 (fat), 3.09±0.18 (protein), 12.53±0.77 (total solids), 8.46±0.84 (solids-not-fat), and 4.23±0.30 (lactose). There were significant differences (P<0.05) in fat and total solids between rural and urban areas. Regarding microbial quality, total bacterial, coliform, yeast, and mold counts were 7.03±0.28, 4.75±0.20, and 4.63±0.15 log cfu/mL in rural areas, and 6.79±0.19, 4.63±0.13, and 4.54±0.08 log cfu/mL in urban areas, respectively. The overall averages were 6.88±0.25 (total bacteria), 4.68±0.17 (coliform), and 4.58±0.08 (yeast and mold) log cfu/mL. These values showed significant differences between rural and urban milk samples. In conclusion, the study found that raw cow milk in the area were often contaminated and did not meet the Ethiopian quality standards. Therefore, it is recommended that awareness be raised among smallholder dairy farmers about proper milk production methods, hygiene practices, and quality control systems.