Quality of milk and its correlation techniques with management of milking

Abstract

The study was conducted in 32 dairy production systems (DPS) located in the city of Toledo-Paraná, and aimed at verifying the practices of hygiene applied during milking, as well as,  observing their correlation with the total bacterial count (TBC), the somatic cell count (SCC) and the milk composition. We obtained 24 milk analyses in two years of collecting for each DPS. Along with the milk analysis, we collected some information from DPS by conducting a questionnaire where data were obtained,  regarding to the  practices  of  hygiene  during milking. For the statistical analysis, we used the Pearson correlation, seeking to verify the correlation within the hygiene practices concerning to the milk composition, SCC and TBC. We found, by the average results of analyzes of milk, that most samples were within the standards  established by the current legislation (IN 62). We also observed that there was an interconnection between the current applied practices and the milk composition, SCC and TBC. Regarding to the composition, the total solids content was more influenced by the fat and protein components. SCC showed negative correlation with lactose, while TBC was negatively correlated with the price paid for the collected milk, the milk storage time, and the use of uniform in milking. We concluded that applying hygienic practices during milking can be an important tool for maintaining the quality of milk.