Milk Handling

To obtain clean milk, the cow to be milked should be clean and healthy. Sick cows should be milked last and the milk should be discarded because it may transmit diseases like brucellosis to consumers. Sick cows should be treated promptly and accordingly by a qualified veterinary.  Milk from cows under antibiotics treatment or deworming should not be consumed until the withdrawal period is over.

The person to milk should be clean and healthy too. They should maintain short nails and hair. Women should have their hair covered. Milking barns are non smoking regions, consequently, milking personnel should not smoke dung milking. The milker should wash his hands thoroughly with clean water and soap then dry with a clean towel before milking. He should milk quickly and completely without interruptions and ensure that the udder is evacuated in less than 10 minutes. One should not handle milk while sick instead, seek medical attention then only resume work when fit to do so.

The milking parlor should be located away from any smells with preferably cemented flour for easy cleaning. It should be cleaned after every milking time and remain out of bounds outside milking time. Milking equipments and milk storage tanks should be made of stainless steel for easy cleaning. The equipment should be cleaned immediately after milking and emptying the milk and sun dried turned upside down on a rack. The equipment should be stored in a safe, clean and well ventilated room.

Test for mastitis using a strip cup by stripping few milk rays into the strip cup from each teat and observe for any abnormalities. The cow detected with mastitis should be milked last. The udder is washed using warm clean water with disinfectant then dried using a clean dry towel. The milk should be filtered immediately after milking using a white filter cloth or strainer which should be disinfected, washed and dried after every use. When transferring milk between containers it is good to pour it and not scoop because scooping may introduce bacteria into the milk. Do not store milk at high temperatures.  Store the milk without chemicals in a cool clean place, preferably lockable room set aside for milk storage. If storing overnight, keep the milk in cold/chilled water. Deliver milk to the market as soon as possible either early in the morning or evening. Do not mix warm with cool milk, or rather morning and evening milk. Deliver milk to the collection centre separately or cool the warm milk before mixing.

Milk preservation helps to ensure that the milk is safe for human consumption at home and that it reaches the final consumer or processor in good condition. The success of any preservation method is highly depended on the quality of hygiene under which the milk was produced. Cooling, a preservation method slows down the growth and activity of micro organisms preventing spoilage. Cooling could be done in several ways; the milk may be kept under a shade, containers with milk could be dipped in a cold water bath or under a flowing stream of cooling tank, the milk could be kept in a refrigerator, a charcoal cooler may be used, cooling rings or an electrical cooling tank. When cooling milk open the lid of the can to allow air to escape and ensure water does not get into the milk. The cooling tank should be covered with a lid to protect the milk from insects and dust.

Heating is another milk preservation method. It kills bacteria and other harmful micro-organisms and makes milk stay longer. The best method of heating milk is to immerse the milk can in boiling water for at least 30 minutes. Milk to be consumed at home should be boiled. Milk can also be subjected to low heat temperature.
The other milk preservation method is chemical treatment. It is important to use the correct type and amounts of chemicals. Chemical treatment should not be done at the farm level unless advised so by the collecting centre. If used correctly, chemicals have little effect on the physical quality of the milk.