TITLE:
Handling and Hygienic Production Practices of Goat Milk in Degahbur District of Jarar Zone, Somali Regional State, Ethiopia
AUTHORS:
Abdi Ahmed, Tadele Amentie, Kawnin Abdimahad, Mohamud Mohamed
KEYWORDS:
Goat Milk, Handling, Hygienic, Production
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Animal Sciences,
Vol.12 No.3,
July
29,
2022
ABSTRACT: A
cross-sectional study was carried out to assess handling and hygienic
production practices of goat milk in
Degahbur district of Jarar zone, Somali Regional State, Ethiopia. A total of 120 households were purposively selected
for this study using a stratified sampling technique. The data were collected
through the questionnaire, field observations, key informants interview and
focus group discussions. The study showed that majority of the sampled households were illiterate. The
goats were kept in an open kraal made
of thorny acacia trees on an earthen floor that had no roof. The goats were
milked inside these open kraals, and
were sometimes contaminated with muck and animal dung mainly the rainy season which
could raise the possibility of milk contamination & spoilage. Moreover, traditional hand milking was the only milking method and majority of the
respondents didn’t wash their hands and the
udder of the animal before milking, indicating low community awareness
and knowledge of sanitary milk production procedures. Plastic equipment which
is difficult to clean and can increase milk contamination and spoilage was used. About 43.3% of the pastoralists and 76.67% of the agro-pastoralists were cleaning milk
vessels regularly. The most often used plant species for smoking milk
handling equipment in the study area to extend shelf life and add flavor &
aroma were Acacia ethaica, Blanites galabra, and Solanum Carense. The main constraints
to hygienic goat milk in the area were identified to be poor barn hygiene, poor
production procedures, disease, source of washing water and lack of extension
services. In general, it can be concluded
that handling and hygienic production practices of goat milk used in the study
area were unsanitary, which may have been primarily caused by the community’s
lack of awareness & understanding as well as a lack of supporting
infrastructures. Therefore, the concerned bodies should place a high priority
on the improvement of hygienic practices by carrying out various relevant
development interventions, such as raising milk producers’ awareness, improving
the health of goats, and providing the necessities for milk handling.