Microbiological quality of milk sold directly from producers to consumers

The aim of this study was to determine the microbiological quality of raw cow milk from direct sale points. Raw cow milk samples were collected from 5 randomly selected direct sale points for microbiological evaluation. The samples were analyzed to determine total aerobic bacterial count, somatic cell count (SCC), counts of Enterobacteriaceae, Enterococcus, Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus, and presence of Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, and inhibitory substances. The mean counts of total aerobic bacterial in samples from all direct sale points were between 9.2 × 104 and 3.6 × 107 cfu/mL. Milk samples collected from 5 direct sale points revealed counts Enterobacteriaceae ranging from 6.4 × 101 to 1.7 × 106 cfu/mL. Escherichia coli were detected in 12 milk samples with counts ranging from 5.0 × 100 to 1.1 × 102 cfu/mL. Staphylococcus spp. bacteria were found in all milk samples, at counts ranging from 1.6 × 103 to 5.1 × 104 cfu/mL. Listeria monocytogenes bacteria were detected in 1 sample, and SCC in all samples ranged from 78,000 to 1,730,000/mL. The examined samples did not contain Salmonella rods or inhibitory substances. In the samples examined in this study, international hygiene standards were exceeded for total aerobic bacterial count (n = 48) as well as for SCC (n = 19). Two milk samples contained pathogenic bacteria (Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus) that pose a potential hazard for consumer health.