Milking practices diagnosis in producing units in the city of Sena Madureira, Acre

Abstract

The milk production chain plays a key role in Brazilian economic development. Acre has undergone profound socioeconomic transformations, especially in the milk production chain. Dairy farming has significant representation in the state, as 21.9% of rural establishments produce and sell milk. The quality of raw milk is a very important factor to guarantee safe and quality products. Hence, good milking practices are essential. Therefore, the objective of this work was to carry out a diagnosis of the milking practices of milk production units (MPUs), located in the city of Sena Madureira, in the estate of Acre. Fifteen MPUs were visited, and the procedures performed before, during, and after milking were observed. It was found that in most MPUs, the milker was personally clean (73%), did not use hair protection (60%), and did not wear adequate clothing (80%). Regarding the milking place, it was found that most MPUs did not have a milking room (87%), being carried out in stables, and the utensils used during milking were not properly sanitized. It was also verified that pre-dipping and post-dipping were not performed in any of the MPUs. These data are of great importance, because the milker and the milking place may become a source of contamination for the milk, compromising the stability of this raw material, as well as its derivatives. The results obtained from this work show that most of the studied MPUs did not adopt the main practices considered necessary to produce quality milk.