The hygienic status of ex farm milk and milk products

During the period 1997 - 2000 a total of 880 samples of farm house products (i.e. raw milk [92], pasteurized milk [73], aromatized milk [119], fresh cheese made from pasteurized milk [41], fresh cheese made from raw milk [74], yoghurt including aromatized products [153], butter made of raw cream [61], semihard cheese made of raw milk [24], semihard cheese made from pasteurized milk [130] and fresh cheese made of ewe's milk or mixtures of ewe's and cow's milk [113]) derived from 40 producers were investigated periodically. The products were analysed for total plate count, plate count after preincubation, coliforms, E coli, staphylococci, yeasts and moulds depending on the type of the product. Good hygienic quality could only be found in the product group of yoghurt and semi hard cheese made from pasteurized milk. For the other products good hygienic quality could only be found in 50 to 90 percent of the samples. It could further be demonstrated that the consciousness of the producers regarding hygiene differed widely. Some producers could not achieve a higher hygienic level despite of advice and assistance.