A recent study published in Scientific Reports has revealed serious concerns over raw milk quality across the dairy value chain in Mekelle City, Ethiopia, highlighting significant risks to food safety and farmer returns. The research analyzed 120 raw milk samples collected from dairy farms (80), vendors (20), and cafeterias (20) between December 2023 and June 2024.
The study found average milk composition levels of 4.58% fat, 3.08% protein, 4.58% lactose, and 8.44% solids-not-fat (SNF), along with a density of 1.029 g/cm³ and freezing point of -0.5395°C. However, microbial quality was a major concern, with total bacterial counts at 7.23 log10 CFU/mL and coliform counts at 4.5 log10 CFU/mL, indicating contamination risks across the supply chain.
The findings showed that milk from cafeterias had the highest bacterial load, followed by vendors, while milk directly from producers had relatively lower contamination levels. Key factors driving poor quality included low awareness among stakeholders, poor hygiene practices, lack of clean water, inadequate cooling facilities, weak quality control systems, and absence of quality-based payment mechanisms.
The study concludes that the overall microbial quality of raw milk in the region is unsatisfactory, calling for urgent interventions such as improved hygiene, infrastructure upgrades, farmer training, and implementation of quality-linked pricing systems to ensure safer dairy supply chains.
Source: Dairynews7x7 28 April, 2026 Read full story here
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