TY - JOUR

T1 - Microbial Safety of Milk Production and Fermented Dairy Products in Africa

AU - Owusu-Kwarteng, James

AU - Akabanda, Fortune

AU - Agyei, Dominic

AU - Jespersen, Lene

PY - 2020

Y1 - 2020

N2 - In Africa, milk production, processing and consumption are integral part of traditional food supply, with dairy products being a staple component of recommended healthy diets. This review provides an overview of the microbial safety characteristics of milk production and fermented dairy products in Africa. The object is to highlight the main microbial food safety hazards in the dairy chain and to propose appropriate preventive and control measures. Pathogens of public health concern including Mycobacterium bovis, Brucella abortus and Coxiella burnettii, which have largely been eradicated in many developed nations, still persist in the dairy chain in Africa. Factors such as the natural antimicrobial systems in milk and traditional processing technologies, including fermentation, heating and use of antimicrobial additives, that can potentially contribute to microbial safety of milk and dairy products in Africa will be discussed. Practical approaches to controlling safety hazards in the dairy chain in Africa have been proposed. Governmental regulatory bodies need to set the necessary national and regional safety standards, perform inspections and put measures in place to ensure that the standards are met, including strong enforcement programs within smallholder dairy chains. Dairy chain actors would require upgraded knowledge and training in preventive approaches such as good agricultural practices (GAP), hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP) design and implementation and good hygienic practices (GHPs). Food safety education programs should be incorporated into school curricula, beginning at the basic school levels, to improve food safety cognition among students and promote life-long safe food handling behaviour.

AB - In Africa, milk production, processing and consumption are integral part of traditional food supply, with dairy products being a staple component of recommended healthy diets. This review provides an overview of the microbial safety characteristics of milk production and fermented dairy products in Africa. The object is to highlight the main microbial food safety hazards in the dairy chain and to propose appropriate preventive and control measures. Pathogens of public health concern including Mycobacterium bovis, Brucella abortus and Coxiella burnettii, which have largely been eradicated in many developed nations, still persist in the dairy chain in Africa. Factors such as the natural antimicrobial systems in milk and traditional processing technologies, including fermentation, heating and use of antimicrobial additives, that can potentially contribute to microbial safety of milk and dairy products in Africa will be discussed. Practical approaches to controlling safety hazards in the dairy chain in Africa have been proposed. Governmental regulatory bodies need to set the necessary national and regional safety standards, perform inspections and put measures in place to ensure that the standards are met, including strong enforcement programs within smallholder dairy chains. Dairy chain actors would require upgraded knowledge and training in preventive approaches such as good agricultural practices (GAP), hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP) design and implementation and good hygienic practices (GHPs). Food safety education programs should be incorporated into school curricula, beginning at the basic school levels, to improve food safety cognition among students and promote life-long safe food handling behaviour.

KW - pathogens

KW - pasteurization

KW - raw milk

KW - fermentation

KW - microbial hazards

KW - HACCP

KW - dairy

KW - LACTIC-ACID BACTERIA

KW - ESCHERICHIA-COLI O157H7

KW - RAW-MILK

KW - MOLECULAR CHARACTERIZATION

KW - MYCOBACTERIUM-BOVIS

KW - FOOD SAFETY

KW - LISTERIA-MONOCYTOGENES

KW - ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY

KW - SUBCLINICAL MASTITIS

KW - BACILLUS-CEREUS

U2 - 10.3390/microorganisms8050752

DO - 10.3390/microorganisms8050752

M3 - Review

C2 - 32429521

VL - 8

JO - Microorganisms

JF - Microorganisms

SN - 2076-2607

IS - 5

M1 - 752

ER -