The objective of this study was to assess the relationship between somatic cell counts (SCC), the use of different milking practices, and the occurrence of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli O157:H7 in 42 small-scale dairy farms located in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil. S. aureus and E. coli O157:H7 were isolated in the milk from dairy cows with low (< 200,000 cells/ml) and high SCC (>200,000 cells/ml), although no effect of SCC (p > 0.05) was observed on the incidence of the bacteria in raw milk. The use of disposable gloves during milking reduced S. aureus counts in milk (p < 0.05), but did not affect the occurrence of E. coli O157:H7. The other milking practices evaluated (closed milking system, use of pre-and post-dipping, mastitis diagnosis by strip cup test, and disinfection of teat cups) did not affect (p < 0.05) the occurrence of S. aureus or E. coli O157:H7 in raw milk. Results indicate the need for effective educational programs addressed to prevent the contamination of milk with S. aureus and E. coli O157:H7 in Brazilian small-scale dairy farms.

No abstract

Enumeration of aerobic microorganisms in Brazilian pasteurized bovine milk using Petrifilm TM AC and Simplate TM TPC was shown to be influenced by the nature of autochthonous microbiota. This study was conducted to assess if the same occurs in pasteurized goat milk. Pasteurized frozen goat milk (n=62) was purchased in retail stores in São Paulo, SP, Brazil, and submitted to mesophilic aerobic counts using Petrifilm TM AC and Simplate TM TPC, comparing results with those of conventional pour-plates. Correlation indexes above 0.90 were ranked "excellent"; those between 0.80 and 0.89, "good", those from 0.79 to 0.50, "fair", and those below 0.50, "poor". Correlation indexes for Petrifilm TM AC counts were "good", but "poor" using Simplate TM TPC. Comparison of Petrifilm TM AC and Simplate TM TPC also produced "poor" correlation indexes. Results suggest that autochthonous microbiota have little, if any, influence on the performance of these two systems, since good correlations were achieved using Petrifilm TM AC.

Investigou-se o conhecimento de ordenhadores de cabra sobre higiene nas operações de ordenha, antes e após uma capacitação em Boas Práticas de Fabricação (BPF), por meio de uma abordagem qualitativa. Para isto, foram realizadas entrevistas com ordenhadores de três propriedades rurais do Estado de São Paulo, baseadas em um formulário semi-estruturado, cujas respostas foram gravadas, transcritas e analisadas de acordo com a metodologia do Discurso do Sujeito Coletivo. Após a entrevista inicial dos ordenhadores, em cada propriedade, realizou-se a capacitação em BPF por intermédio de aula expositiva dialogada, de uma hora de duração, sobre os temas "princípios gerais de BPF" e "cuidados higiênicos recomendados para ordenha". Após dois meses da capacitação, realizou-se nova entrevista com os ordenhadores. Não foram identificadas diferenças nos discursos obtidos antes e após a capacitação. A análise individual dos discursos mostrou que os ordenhadores apresentavam prévia experiência em ordenha de animais, gostavam do que faziam no trabalho e desejavam aprender mais sobre o ofício, mas não tinham sugestões claras em relação à melhoria do seu fluxo de trabalho.

A good manufacturing practices (GMP) training course was applied for goat milkers and evaluated using microbiological analysis in milk before and after training. Milkers from three dairy goat farms located in São Paulo, Brazil, were submitted to a one-hour course on GMP and recommended guidelines for milking. Samples of raw milk were collected before and one to two months after training, and analysed for aerobic mesophilic, psychrotrophic, coliform, Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella spp counts. Only mesophilic counts decreased (p < 0.05) after training in two of three farms studied. Although important to assess the overall quality of milk, microbiological parameters should not be used alone for the evaluation of GMP effectiveness for goat milkers.