MONITORING OF QUALITATIVE PROFILE OF BUFFALO MILK IN BRAZIL

The production and consumption of buffalo milk have reached great nutritional importance and economic relevance in Brazil, which makes monitoring the quality of the raw material an essential aspect of this production. Nonetheless, little has been discussed about this matter, with only one state legislation regulating the quality of buffalo milk in Brazil. The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality of raw milk from 30 farms in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, in order to trace a qualitative profile of buffalo milk production in the region. Physicochemical and microbiological parameters and somatic cell count (SCC) of milk were evaluated over 11 months. Titratable acidity and fat content (16.68% and 5.74%, respectively) were above the established minimum levels. While microbiological parameters were high, the mean SCC was below the established limit. There were no physicochemical changes in raw milk; however, there was a high count of microorganisms, related to inadequate hygiene in the production process. Results showed that the microbiological parameters are not adequate for the production of buffalo milk in the region. Therefore, the raw buffalo milk produced on the farms showed low microbiological quality during the monitoring period.