Introduction
Milk is a very perishable product, because it undergoes very rapid changes that damage its quality in a short time. When talking about the qualities of milk, we refer to all the nutritional benefits that the consumer offers us for its components, properties, its easy assimilation, among others; but, at the same time, to the damage it would cause to us when it is in a deteriorated state or because it has not been adequately preserved.
All the aforementioned leads me to present to you this article where I will explain everything related to the most important aspects to offer an optimal quality of dairy products, presenting a quality of milk within acceptable parameters.
Good livestock practices for the production of quality milk.
Environmental hygiene: Water and other elements of the environment should be managed in such a way that the possibility of direct or indirect transmission of hazards to milk is minimized.
Contaminated water, pests (insects and rodents), chemicals and internal and external environments where animals are housed and milked can contaminate pastures, milking equipment and dairy animals, with the consequence that hazards are introduced in milk.
Areas and premises for milk production: The design, location, maintenance and, as far as possible, the use of areas and premises for the production of milk must be such as to reduce the minimum the introduction of hazards in milk.
It has been found that inadequate protection and maintenance of the premises where milking animals are housed and milked are factors that contribute to the contamination of milk.
Knowing the quality and its evaluation.
Quality is a topic that today all companies are taking as a form of competition and survival in the market. Quality is the positive feeling that a customer feels when purchasing a product or service. Based on this need, which is increasingly the requirement; It should help in the implementation of quality, evaluation and constant monitoring of milk.
The milk must be of quality, regardless of the use to which it is destined, either for direct consumption or for the elaboration of dairy products; This means that in addition to a good nutrient content, it must have other special characteristics that assure the consumer a safe product.
Conclusion
In conclusion, quality is the set of requirements, properties and characteristics of a product or service that gives it the ability to meet express needs. Needs may include aspects related to suitability for use, safety, availability, reliability, maintenance, economic, environmental aspects, etc.
Therefore the quality of the milk, must undertake the standards and rules necessary to satisfy the market of consumers of milks and their derived products, taking into account from the grass that the cattle animal consumes, the type of livestock breed, the hygiene standards that include milking, transport and storage. Quality standards must be extrapolated to the industries that process milk to generate new products, in general it is a chain from the production of milk through the feeding of livestock to the standards of milk processing in industries.
A quality milk is one that has a composition (fat, protein, lactose, vitamins and minerals) of excellence, which has low microbial counts (hygienic), free of pathogens, without physical chemical contaminants and with adequate capacity to be processed. Quality milk is an indispensable requirement for the achievement of quality dairy products. The herd is the first condition for this process.
Bibliography consulted.
Modular program for the technical management of dairy products Referential framework. Roeland Donckers. Perú 2010.