Raw Milk Collection Diversity and Determinants of Physicochemical and Microbiological Quality in Algerian Small Farms

Milk sector in Algeria presents lasting supply instability and its development policy has not achieved the expected results. The interest in developing local dairy production therefore has been a priority for public authorities. Our work aims to analyze raw milk collection diversity at the GIPLAIT dairy in Tizi (Mascara) and assess their physicochemical and microbiological quality. The typology of raw milk collection was determined from upstream, the farm to the dairy processing factory. The quality of the milk was determined by carrying out both physicochemical analyses (pH, Dornic acidity, butter content, protein content, density and total dry extract) and microbiological analyses (total aerobic mesophilic flora, total coliforms, and fecal coliforms). Results revealed that significant effect of heat stress was recorded in the semi-arid zone of Mascara. The milk produced on farms was based on a significant use of concentrate which resulted in a high-cost price per cow present. The physicochemical results obtained for the pH parameters, Dornic acidity, butter and protein content, density and total dry extract were respectively (6.73 ± 0.02; 17.23 ± 0.17; 31.29 ± 0.64; 28.3 ± 0.82; 1029 and 114.6 ± 1.07 g/l). From microbiological variables, the results are superior to the Algerian standards with an average load of 4.65 x106, 8.23 x104 and 2.18 x 104 CFU/ml for total aerobic mesophilic flora, total coliforms and fecal coliforms respectively.