Hygienic Quality of Camel Milk and Fermented Camel Milk (Chal) in Golestan Province, Iran

摘要

A total of 18 samples of fresh camel milk and sour camel milk (chal) were randomly collected from different retail markets with various levels of sanitation in Golestan province. Samples were subjected to determinations of pH, total count, total yeast and mould counts, Enterobacteriaceae count, lactic acid bacteria (LAB) count, total Staphylococcal count and for presence of Salmonella and Shigella . Results revealed that pH levels ranged from3.8 to 4.5 and 6.4 to 6.7 for chal and milk samples respectively. The highest and lowest total counts were determined in the ranges of 5.90 to 5.69, and 5.69 to 5.46; total yeast and mold counts were determined in the ranges of 4.11 to 3.90 and 3.77 to 1.95, and Enterobacteriaceae counts were 2.60 to 1.90 and 2.04 to 1.77, Lactic acid bacteria counts were 4.58 to 4.04 and 2.60 to 1.95, Staphylococcal counts were 1.95 to 1.30 and 2.00 to 1.00 log cfu/ml for chal and camel milk samples respectively. Salmonella and Shigella were not found in any of the chal samples, but there were traces in 8 of the raw camel milk samples. But it should be considered that chal is prepared under spontaneous fermentation, and in comparisson with pasteurized products it has low sanitation quality.