75% of the packaged milk in our country is dangerous

The Dhaka Times Desk Researchers at the International Center for Diarrheal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDRB) have termed milk as highly hazardous at every stage from the dairy farm to the packaged store in Bangladesh. According to their new study, more than 75 percent of pasteurized milk in local markets is not safe for direct consumption.

A recent study of commercially pasteurized milk, the primary source of nutrition for children, found this unfortunate result.

This research program was conducted in 18 upazilas of Bogra, Gaibandha, Nilphamari, Dinajpur, Jaipurhat, Rangpur and Sirajganj districts under the 'Strandening the Dairy Value Chain (SDVC)' project with the financial support of CARE Bangladesh to verify the microbiological quality of milk at various stages of the dairy industry. 438 samples of raw milk were collected from milk producers, cold stores, local restaurants of these upazilas. Apart from this, 95 samples of commercially processed milk were collected from different shops in Dhaka and Bogra.

After reviewing these collected samples, the researchers found that 72 percent and 57 percent of the samples at the primary milk production stage were contaminated with coliform and faecal coliform bacteria, respectively. 11 percent of the samples were contaminated with high numbers of E. coli. Faecal coliform bacteria are a threat to public health and the presence of these bacteria in milk results in milk pathogens, or disease-causing bacteria and viruses, which may be present in the faeces of warm-blooded animals or mixed with milk during milk collection.

At the point of collection of milk from producers, samples are found to be contaminated with high numbers of coliform bacteria. In addition, 91 percent were contaminated with faeces and 40 percent of the samples were found to contain high numbers of E. coli. Samples collected at the cold store showed higher contamination rates than samples at the milk collection point. Samples collected from 15 cold stores in five districts were found to contain high levels of coliforms and faecal coliforms. 67 percent of samples collected from all cold stores were highly contaminated with E. coli. Apart from this, some other bacteria like B.cereus and Staphylococci were found to be present. However, their levels were normal.

The researchers found that bacteria levels increased steadily in milk delivered from the milk producer to the freezer and finally to the consumer. About 77 percent of the bacteria were found in the pasteurized milk samples tested, exceeding the BSTI criteria. On the other hand, 37 percent were contaminated with coliform and 15 percent with faecal coliform bacteria.

The head of the research team and the associate scientist of ICDDR, and the head of the food microbiology laboratory. Mohammad Aminul Islam said milk is pasteurized to make it safe for drinking. But the presence of such faecal coliforms in pasteurized milk is by no means acceptable in both national and international standards. Pathogens have been found in marketed unpasteurized raw milk. These milks should not be drunk without boiling them well.

He said, the presence of harmful bacteria at various stages of milk processing clearly shows that the original quality of milk i.e. nutritional quality is greatly affected. Contamination at the primary producer stage of milk involves factors such as the reproductive process of the cow, the amount of milk produced by the cow, the time of milking and the hand washing practices of the milker. In order to ensure safe and nutritious milk for all, care must be taken in the hygienic milking, collection, storage and pasteurization of milk. In addition, to keep milk safe for drinking, it is important to follow the procedure of continuous cooling of pasteurized milk at every stage from the place of production to the consumer's table.

Source: BD Morning