Handling the milk
A good hygiene and quality can only be maintained if care is taken when handling the milk. Milk should be stored in containers solely used for this purpose. A lid which fits tightly prevents dirt as well as insects to enter the container. The containers must be thoroughly cleansed after usage. Milk containers should be handled with care, milk is sensitive to stirring and shaking as this may damage the fat globules, leading to spoiled milk.
7.1 Cooling
The effect of cooling can not be over emphasized. It is the best means to preserve the quality of milk and to prevent bacteria from multiplying. Cooling of milk does not necessary require expensive cooling equipment. Some simple and cheap methods are listed below. In order to obtain the best results with these methods, the container should be of metal for fast heat exchange.
Air cooling
Shade and draught provide some cooling to the fresh milk. Covering the container with a wet cloth is a successful way of obtaining additional cooling from water evaporation. This is particularly useful in dry climates. Air cooling is most effective at night. Evening milk may be stored without severe problems until next morning if the air temperature is 10°C, or below.
Water cooling
The milk container is put in the coldest water available. Preferably a metal basin or earthen pit with running water, so that the water never warms up. A stream functions equally well. For this type of cooling the milk container should not be heavier than that it is possible to lift for one man.
A slightly more sophisticated way of cooling with water is by having a metal basin with double walls. The milk is poured into the basin and heat is exchanged with the water running in the double wall. This requires some kind of stirring and a large lid.
For water cooling to be efficient, the temperature of the water should not exceed 20°C. It also requires a rich supply of clean water. The water used for cooling may be given to the buffaloes after it has served its purpose. In this way, water is saved.
Ice cooling
is quite effective but expensive. It works by putting blocks of ice around the milk container. However, even though the ice is colder than water, it may not work as well due to bad contact between the surfaces. A metal box containing ice can be inserted into the milk. This requires strict hygiene and clean boxes. It is not advisable to put ice into the milk. Firstly the milk becomes diluted and, secondly, if the water is not perfectly clean, it will add bacteria to the milk.
If ice is readily available and not to expensive it can be combined with water cooling, thus chilling the water further.
Mechanical cooling
Mechanical cooling can be more or less expensive. If the farmer has a household refrigerator, this can be used for cooling the milk. How large a quantity of milk depends on the size of the refrigerator.
Sophisticated coolers for chilling larger quantities of milk quickly are available from many agricultural companies.
Air, water and ice cooling can be used in combination with mechanical cooling. By first cooling the milk in air, water or ice, some energy for further mechanical cooling is saved.
7.2 Transporting the milk
Buffalo milk is mainly produced in the rural areas by a multitude of small farmers. In developing countries, high temperatures and long transportation times in unsanitary containers contribute to rapid increase of bacteria and thereby a large amount of the milk is spoiled before it reaches the dairy plant to be processed. Poor infrastructure discourages farmers to deliver the milk themselves to the dairy plant. Instead they deliver it to collection centers which may be organized by the dairy plant or by the farmers themselves as a cooperative or by businessmen or organizations.
Most collection centers are merely a simple shed where milk is weighed and perhaps tested for fat, then transported to the dairy plant on a truck twice a day. More modern collection centers may have facilities to cool the milk or even a cooling tank and it is sufficient to transport the milk to the dairy once a day.
Decentralized dairy plants which can be reached from many farms within two hours is another solution to minimize spoilage of milk. Transportation of the milk should preferably be done in large containers since a large quantity of milk heats up more slowly a small quantity. Increases in temperature during the transportation should be avoided as much as possible.
Preservatives
If cooling of the milk is impossible, preservatives can be used to retain milk quality until it reaches the dairy. It must be emphasized that a preservative does nothing but preserve the milk, it can not in any way improve the quality of the milk. An available preservative is lactoperoxidase/ hydrogen peroxide/ thiocyanate and the method is commonly called the LP-system or MIPS. It is a safe method of preserving milk if used correctly and it does not affect the quality of the milk negatively. For full description of the system contact Alfa Laval Agri.
7.3 Easy quality control
The aim of quality control is to assure that the milk purchased from the farmers has a good hygienic standard and a normal composition. A very easy and simple quality control can be done at farm level or at the collection center by trained personnel (see Appendix 3, quality control). There are simple check points that should be looked at in order to determine quality.
- Overall hygiene in the milking area
- Cleanliness of the milk containers
- Milking routines
- Cooling facilities
- Cleaning procedure
These points should be checked regularly at the farm. The staff conducting this should do so without prior notice to the farmer. It is the farmers’ responsibility to always keep clean and have good milking routines. Any one should be able to check on his routines at any time and find them satisfactory. If the farmer does not have satisfactory cleaning and cleanliness, he should receive advice from the staff as to how he can improve his conditions.
Acknowledgements:
The main author of Buffalo Milk Production is Mikaela Stahl Hogberg, Agr. Lic. Animal Husbandry, Department of Animal Nutrition and Management, SLU, Sweden . For significant and special efforts the following contributors are in particular acknowledged:
- Ole Lind, Delaval, Tumba, Sweden
- Prof. Dr. N.C. Ganguli, former Secretary of National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, New Delhi, India
- Dr.S.C. Chopra, Director of Research, C. G. S. Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar India
- Dr. Saad Alhayani, Director, Dunaya, Cairo, Egypt
- Mr. C. S. Thomas, Officer Buffalo Projects, Alfa Laval Agri, Pune, India
- Mr. G. Cionini, former President, Alfa Laval Agri, Italy
- Mr. G. Merlo, former Marketing Manager Milking, Alfa Laval Agri, Italy
- Mr. E. Crespo, ProductCenter Manager, Buffaloes, Alfa Laval Agri,
- Sweden
Dr. K. Svennersten-Sjaunja, L O SjaunjaAB (LOSAB), Uppsala, Sweden
Appendices & Further Reading:
Appendix 1, dairy farm journal
Appendix 2, breeding records
Appendix 3, quality control
Selected references and further reading
Related Links:
An encompassing article on water buffalo including links to additional web sites |