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Thirty samples of fresh cow milk was taken from farmers immediately after milking and 15 milk samples was taken from market chains and analyzed for quality. From the sample about 31.08% were coagulate on clot on boiling test and 55.55% samples were coagulated on alcohol tests. Overall mean total bacterial counts, coliform and yeast and mould count were 5.74±0.10.65, 3.14±0.72 and 3.71±0.83 cfu/ml respectively and significantly different b/n producers source and markets channel source at (P

Background: Production and productivity of dairy is very low in Ethiopia. This problem is exacerbated by high contamination with microorganisms and other contaminants during production, procurement, processing and distribution. To tackle the problem, understanding the production, processing and microbial load of raw milk and measuring its hygiene quality is necessary. Objectives: The study was conducted with the objective of assessing milk production, handlings, constraints of milk production and marketing, and its hygiene in urban and peri urban areas of Girar Jarso district of Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia. Materials and Methods: A total of 150 respondents were interviewed using pretested questionnaire to collect data on dairy cattle management, milk production, hygienic conditions, milk production constraints and marketing. Moreover, 60 milk samples were collected and analyzed for mean aerobic mesophilic bacterial count (AMBC), total coliform count (TCC), and spore forming bacterial count (SFBC). Results: The major feed resources were communal grazing land, crop residues, grass hay, concentrate feeds and non-conventional feed such as atella. The mean estimated daily milk yield/day/cow was 12.15 ± 0.26 and 2.69 ± 0.04 liters for crossbred and local cows, respectively. Average lactation lengths of local and crossbred dairy cows were 6.58 ± 0.22 and 9.19 ± 0.11 months, respectively. Shortage of feed, lack of clean water, appropriate utensils and adequate markets during fasting season were the major constraints to dairy production in the study area. The mean AMBC, TCC and SFBC for milk samples collected from producers at farm gates were 6.42 ± 0.07, 4.49 ± 0.09 and 2.59 ± 0.05 log10 cfu ml-1, respectively. Conclusion: It is concluded that dairy productivity in the study area is low and of poor quality as a result of different constraints and therefore good dairy husbandry and hygienic milk handling practices should be promoted to improve milk productivity and milk quality in the study area., East African Journal of Sciences, Vol. 14 No. 2 (2020): East African Journal of Sciences

This study was conducted to evaluate the chemical composition, mineral profile and sensory properties of Metata, Ayib and Hazo traditional cheese varieties in selected areas of Eastern Gojjam. The chemical composition and mineral content of the cheese varieties were analyzed following standard procedures. Sensory analysis was also conducted by consumer panelists to assess taste, aroma, color, texture and overall acceptability of these traditional cheese varieties. Metata cheese samples had significantly (P, East African Journal of Sciences, Vol. 13 No. 2 (2019): East African Journal of Sciences

Objectives: The experiment was conducted to determine the effect of dietary energy and protein level growth performances of selected indigenous Ethiopian sheep breeds. Materials and Methods: Fifty intact ram lambs, 25 from each breed with 12 months of age and a mean initial body weight (IBW) of 19.31 ± 1.7 kg, were employed for this experiment. Animals were distributed randomly into five dietary treatments, i.e., minimum Energy and Protein (mEmP), medium energy and protein (MEMP), medium Energy and high Protein (MEHP), high energy and medium protein (HEMP), and high Energy and high Protein (HEHP) diets in randomized complete block design with 2 * 5 factorial arrangements. The minimum, medium, and high energy diets were 2.388, 2.866, and 3.344 Mcal/kg dry matter (DM) with the corresponding 10%, 16%, and 20% crude protein (CP) diets, respectively. The diets were formulated in a total mixed ration from wheat bran (WB), maize grain, peanut cake, and pasture hay feed ingredients. Diet offer was at the rate of 3% of lambs live weight and revised biweekly as per the attained body weight changes. Digestibility trial was conducted for 7 days of actual fecal data collection, followed by 90 days of feeding trial. Results: The animals fed on the MEHP diet had a maximum DM and nutrient intakes (CP and organic matter) and the best final body weight (FBW), total gain, gain rate, average daily gains, and feed conversion efficiency (31.3, 12.9 kg, 41.2%, 143.3 gm, and 23.13, respectively), followed by HEMP, HEHP, MEMP, and mEmP diets. Digestibility of DM and nutrients linearly followed similar trends (p < 0.01). Hararghe sheep was heavier (p < 0.01) by 4.3 and 3.1 kg in its FBW and total gain and more efficient in nutrients utilization (22.57 vs. 18.18) as compared to Afar sheep (AS). Conclusion: It is concluded that MEHP and MEMP are superior and optimum diets for sheep breeds, and Hararghe sheep is carried out better than AS in most growth performance parameters. [J Adv Vet Anim Res 2021; 8(2.000): 185-194]

A semi-structured questionnaire was used to interview a total of 320 smallholder farmers to assess the hygienic practices and quality of milk and traditional fermented milk. Eighty samples each for raw and fermented milk were collected for microbial analysis using standard procedures. The majority (96.3%) of the milkers washed their hands during milking and 90.7% of the milkers washed udder before milking. However, only 3.5% of the respondents used individual clean towel to dry hands and 19.6% of the respondents to clean udder prior to milking. Plastic containers were the most frequently used milk utensils for various purposes. About 53.8% of the respondents’ clean milk utensils with cold water and detergents; while 46.2% used warm water and soap. Tap, river, spring and bore-well were the common sources of water used to clean udder, hands and milk containers. The majority of the respondent’s stored milk at room temperature until sold. The average aerobic mesophilic bacterial, coliforms, lactic acid bacteria, and yeast and mould counts in raw milk was 6.8, 3.5, 2.9, and 5.06 log cfu/mL, respectively. Significantly low aerobic mesophilic (5.3 log cfu/mL) and coliform counts (2.5 log cfu/mL) were recorded for fermented milk samples. About 7.5% of raw milk and 2.5% of the fermented milk samples were positive for Listeria monocytogenes. However, none of the samples were positive for Salmonella. Results revealed that the microbial quality and safety of raw and fermented milk produced in the central highlands of Ethiopia are not as per the standard set by European Union and may be considered as less quality product. Therefore, implementing hygienic handling practices of milk and milk products throughout the dairy value chain is essential to ensure the safety and suitability of these food products for consumers., East African Journal of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Vol. 2 No. 1 (2018): East African Journal of Veterinary and Animal Sciences

An experiment was conducted in Horro Guduru Wollega Zone, at Guduru Animal Production and Research Center (GAPRC) of Wollega University to evaluate the effect of Ficus sur (Cv. Forssk) fruits (FSF) supplementation on feed intake, milk yield, composition and profitability of Horro cows. Twelve healthy lactating Horro cows of similar lactation stage, body weight and condition were selected from GAPRC. All of the selected cows were in early (one weak to 10days) lactation stage. The experiment had three treatments with four replications arranged in a randomized complete block design to which 2-5 parities were used as blocking factor, and three cows were used per parity. The treatments were: T1, Rhodes grass hay +1.7kg Oat grain +0.8kg Noug seed cake, T2, Rhodes grass hay +0.56kg Noug seed cake+0.97kg oat grain +0.97kg FSF and T3, Rhodes grass hay +0.8kg Noug seed cake+ 1.7kg FSF. The experiment was conducted for 60 days, including 15 days of adaptation. Except for crude protein intake, there were significant (P

A survey was conducted to assess goat production system and production constraints under two farming systems (Agro-pastoral (AP) and mixed crop livestock (MCL)) in the rural areas of Dire Dawa Administration, Ethiopia. Semi structured questionnaire was used to collect information from 150 goat owning households. Household goat holding was higher in AP (32.00±2.3) as compared to MCL farming system (14.13±1.08). Lower age at first kidding (16.08±0.24 months) and shorter kidding interval (7.64±0.11 months) was reported in MCL as compared to AP farming system (17.00±0.21 and 8.23±0.14 months, respectively). Age at marketing in AP (13.83±0.89 months) was lower than MCL farming system (17.55±0.75 months). In both farming systems, cash income from sales of live goat was the primary objective of goat production. Grazing on natural pasture in wet season and crop stubble after crop harvest were the main sources of feed. About 79.3% of the total respondents have got their own buck. Higher proportion of respondents in AP farming (84%) practice breeding buck selection as compared to MCL farming system (53.3%). In both farming systems, size, parent performance and body conformation were the three main criteria to select breeding buck. Goats are kept overnight in an open kraal in AP farming (72%) and with human in the same main living house in MCL farming system (48%). Feed scarcity was ranked as the first important constraint of goat rearing, while disease and predator attack in MCL, and scarcity of water and market access in AP farming system ranked as second and third important constraints, respectively. Thus, enhancement of goat production in the study area requires improvement in quality and quantity of the available feed, improved breeding practices, housing practices, utilization of health services, and access to water and market., East African Journal of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Vol. 1 No. 2 (2017): East African Journal of Veterinary and Animal Sciences

The risk of milk contamination with spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms is high for milk produced in developing countries like Ethiopia especially in lowland region as their milk production practices is traditional type which lack appropriate hygienic control. To protect the raw cow milk from spoilage loss and consumers from milk born public health risk, the availability of documented information on the microbiological quality of raw milk across the milk supply chain is critically important as such information may be important for different organization to undertake relevant development intervention on hygienic practices essential for safe milk production and handling. This study was, therefore, conducted to determine the microbiological quality of informally marketed raw cow milk across the milk supply chain in eastern Ethiopia. A total of 360 pooled raw cow milk samples (each with a volume of 450 mL) were collected from udders and milk handling equipment of producers in rural areas of Babile district; from the equipment of collectors/transporters in Harar and Dire Dawa towns as well as from the equipment of vendors and consumer at Babile, Harar and Dire Dawa towns during February 2014 to January 2015. The milk samples were subjected to laboratory analyses to evaluate total aerobic mesophilic bacteria count (TAMBC), total coliform count (TCC), yeast count (YC) and mold count (MC) in the laboratory to determine the microbiological quality of the milk. Mean TAMBC, TCC, YC and MC for raw cow milk samples collected directly from the udders were 6.02±0.14, 4.23±0.12, 2.57±0.10 and 2.67±0.10 log10 cfu mL-1, respectively. The values for the samples collected from the equipment of producers upon arrival at their selling points were 7.17±0.14, 5.86±0.12, 3.46±0.10 and 3.70±0.10 log10 cfu mL-1 for TAMBC, TCC, YC and MC, respectively. Mean TAMBC, TCC, YC and MC for samples collected from the equipment of collectors/transporters were 7.96±0.10, 6.49±0.07, 3.99±0.07 and 4.37±0.07 log10 cfu mL-1, respectively. The microbial counts for samples collected from the equipment of vendors were 8.78±0.08, 7.32±0.07, 4.98±0.06 and 5.04±0.07 log10 cfu mL-1 for TAMBC, TCC, YC and MC, respectively. The values for samples collected from equipment of consumers were 8.82±0.08, 7.37±0.07, 5.10±0.06 and 5.11±0.07 log10 cfu mL-1 for TAMBC, TCC, YC and MC, respectively. It could be concluded that raw cow milk samples collected from all towns and milk source were severely contaminated with aerobic mesophilic and coliform bacteria, yeast and molds, with loads exceeding the respective acceptable limits.  Keywords: Dairy production system; Herd size; Microbiological quality; Milk supply chain, Raw cow milk, East African Journal of Sciences, Vol. 10 No. 2 (2016): East African Journal of Sciences Vol (10) No (2)

Camel milk is produced in areas where there is lack of milk cooling facilities coupled with high ambient temperature that exacerbates milk spoilage before it reaches the ultimate market and consumers. To overcome this problem lactoperoxidase system (LPS) is one the methods to preserve freshness of milk until it is marketed or reaches where there is milk cooling facilities. This study was conducted with the objectives of assessing the effect LPS activation on preservation of raw camel and cow milk and to comparing acidification rate of LPS activated camel and cow milk. The effect of LPS activation on inhibition of selected pathogens (i.e. Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus) was also studied. The treatments consisted of a 2 x 4 factorial experiment (LPS activated and non LPS activated with 0, 6, 12, and 24 hrs storage time at 30°C treatments) in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with a factorial arrangement and three replications per treatment. Twenty-four camel and cow milk samples obtained from Errer valley ago-pastoralists and Haramaya University Dairy farm, respectively were examined for titratable acidity, total bacterial count (TBC) and coliform count (CC). The result revealed that titratable acidity, CC and TBC in LPS activated milk samples were significantly lower (P< 0.05) than their respective values in non LPS activated milk samples for both cow and camel milk, stored for 6, 12 and 24 hrs. The percent of acidity were not significantly (P>0-05) different than that of the initial acidity level in LPS activated cow and camel milk up to 12hrs of storage. LPS activated milk showed bactericidal effect against TBC and CC both in cow and camel milk. In the current experiment, activation of LPS in camel milk reduced the growth rate of E. coli as compared to non LPS activated milk samples. The bactericidal effect of the LPS suggests that activation of the LPS would be of paramount importance in controlling the growth of microorganisms and improving the microbial quality of both cow and camel milk in the study area. Cow milk with activated LPS showed a slight delay in acidification rate compared to the non LPS activated cow and camel milk using a thermophilic starter culture. From the study, we can suggest that LPS activation of both cow and camel milk helps to extend the shelf life of fresh milk up to 6 and 12 hours, respectively and enables milk producers to sell fresh milk within this time frame and reduce milk wastage. LPS activation can be used in improving the microbiological quality and the shelf-life of raw camel and cow milk where milk cooling facilities are not available. LPS activated milk could also be used for manufacturing of fermented milk products. Keyword: Camel milk; cow milk; hydrogen peroxide; lactoperoxidase system; thiocyanate, East African Journal of Sciences, Vol. 11 No. 2 (2017): East African Journal of Sciences

 Abstract: Cattle and camel represent important cultural, social, nutritional as well as economic values to a substantial proportion of the livestock keeping communities dwelling in various agro-ecologies of Ethiopia. The country has a substantial potential for dairy development considering the large livestock populations found in the country with other productivity enhancing factors. However, despite large population, the productivity is by far low; that the country to be a net importer of dairy products with import values significantly exceeding export values. Among others; limited market outlets for milk and milk products, inefficient and untimely artificial insemination service delivery, lack of crossbreed heifers, shortage and increasing price of feeds especially agro-industrial by-products and poor linkages among key value-chain actors are the frequently cited factors deemed guilty. It is therefore, with this breathing situation that this review report made an effort to highlight the prevailing situation of the Ethiopian cattle and camel milk value chains as well as the missing link. Based on the current scenario, it also suggests appropriate improvement interventions to take and when taken right then producers in particular and the country at general could make use of optimum if not maximum benefits that can be tapped from the sector.  Keywords: Actors Linkage; Livestock; Marketing; ProductivityÂ, East African Journal of Sciences, Vol. 11 No. 2 (2017): East African Journal of Sciences