Vol. 8, Special Issue 10, Part K (2024)

Ensuring the bacteriological quality of raw milk is crucial for food safety and consumer health, particularly in minimizing microbial contamination. This study evaluated the impact of different post-milking treatments using aqueous solution of turmeric as udder wash on the bacteriological quality of raw milk from cross-bred cows. Conducted at SHUATS Dairy Farm in Prayagraj, the experiment involved twelve healthy, mastitis-free cows. Four treatments were applied: T₀ (control, water-wash), T₁ (20 g turmeric powder/1L water), T₂ (30 g turmeric powder/1L water), and T₃ (40 g turmeric powder/1L water). Milk samples were collected post-milking and analyzed using the Standard Plate Count (SPC) method to measure bacterial loads. The results indicated that SPC values in milk ranged from 31 to 49 (×10³/ml). Mean SPC values for treatments T₀, T₁, T₂, and T₃ were 44.9, 39.3, 39, and 35.8 (×10³/ml), respectively. The differences in bacterial counts between treatments were statistically significant (p< 0.05), with the lowest bacterial count observed in the T₃ treatment. The use of an aqueous turmeric solution in the T3 treatment resulted in a significant reduction in bacterial load, making it the most effective post-milking treatment compared to the other treatments. These findings demonstrate the potential of turmeric as an effective natural antimicrobial agent in dairy hygiene practices. The study concludes that post-milking udder washing with a turmeric solution, particularly at the T3 concentration, can enhance the bacteriological quality of raw milk by significantly reducing its bacterial count, thus offering a practical and economical method to improve milk safety.