Microbiological analysis of raw milk in Rwanda

Megan M. Doyle1, Sara Garcia 2

Abstract

Milk spoilage and low quality milk are of special concern to developing countries such as Rwanda. Our objective was to measure bacterial loads in milk via total bacterial count (TBC) in three major segments of the dairy value chain from farm to consumer, including milk transporters, milk collection centers, and milk kiosks. In all cases, the increase in bacterial load was statistically significant. This indicates a general trend of decreasing quality from farm to consumer, which clearly raises food safety concerns about contamination by pathogenic organisms and suitability of raw milk consumption in Rwanda.