The investigation of suitability of raw milk consumption from vending machines in Croatia

Abstract

The consumption of raw milk from vending machine in Croatia has increased in recent years. However, its health safety is insufficiently investigated and controlled. The objective of this study was to investigate the suitability of raw milk consumption, from 28 vending machines from 3 counties in Croatia during one-year research period, based on the physicochemical and hygiene quality. Also, the simulation of psychrothrophic bacteria growth has been conducted in order to determine its optimal storage time because of their unfavorable effect on the milk quality. The physicochemical composition of milk samples (n=320) was determined by the infrared spectrometry (chemical composition) and cryoscopic method (freezing point), while hygiene quality was estimated with a total bacterial count (TBC) and a somatic cell count (SCC). Microbiological analyses included determining the presence of Enterococcus spp., Pseudomonas spp. and the pathogenic species. Satisfactory quality of raw milk was established in 95% (chemical quality) and 70% unadulterated samples (without added water). The prescribed hygiene quality was met by 36.6% (TBC) and 71.9% (SCC) samples.Of total 320 samples, the presence of bacteria in genus Enterococcus spp. and Pseudomonas spp. was confirmed in 93.4% and 96.9% samples, respectively, and bacteria Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Lysteria monocytogenes was confirmed in 32.2%, 27.5% and 3.8% samples. The finding of Salmonella spp. and Yersinia enterocolitica was negative. At the end of the study improvement of the microbiological quality of raw milk from vending machines was established. The results indicate the need for systematic control and obligate thermal treatment of raw milk before consumption.

Negotiating the Duplexity of Ethnographic Relations: Taking a Symmetrical Approach to Interlocutors "in" and "beyond" Science

“…They cited research that had proven the presence of listeria monocytogenes and other pathogen microbes in milk vending machines (c.f. Mikulec et al, 2019) as evidence of this.…”

The role of vending channels in marketing: A systematic review and taxonomy of studies

“…Some of the identified articles reported vending samples with relatively low levels of milk contamination (Bianchi et al ., 2013; Dalzini et al ., 2016) corresponding to well‐established national and international standards for microbiological quality (Angelidis et al ., 2016; Vietoris et al ., 2016; Torkar et al ., 2017; Zdolec et al ., 2019). However, the level of microbiological quality varies according to the methodological approach used to test the milk samples (Giacometti et al ., 2012; Mikulec et al ., 2019; Zdolec et al ., 2019). Bianchi et al .…”

“…Moreover, the risk of foodborne diseases does not exist when milk has been stored properly (4°C) or consumed boiled (Giacometti et al ., 2015). Therefore, interactive games are recommended to raise awareness of young consumers on the potential risks of drinking raw milk (Crovato et al ., 2016) and the need for a thermal treatment of milk prior to consumption (Giacometti et al ., 2012; Tremonte et al ., 2014; Mikulec et al ., 2019; Traversa et al ., 2019). In countries like Italy, where vending channels are frequently used for selling raw milk, national authorities established strict rules to satisfy the hygiene and informational needs of vending customers.…”

Microbial Safety of Milk from Vending Machines in the Informal Settlements of Nairobi, Kenya

“…Previous studies show that the quality and safety of pasteurized milk is highly compromised at the retail points [3]. A study on the suitability of milk for consumption found pathogenic microorganisms in milk that had been stored for retail [4], and another study evaluating the microbial quality of pasteurized milk found high total viable counts and coliform bacteria in pasteurized milk [5].…”