Aflatoxin in feedstuffs and raw milk in Republic of North Macedonia, occurrence and assessment

The main objective of this research is to estimate the situation of occurance of aflatoxins in feedstuffs and aflatoxin M1 raw cow`s milk in Republic of North Macedonia. Detected average concentrations of total aflatoxins in the examined period 2014-2017 were below legal prescribed level. Within the official monitoring programme in the country, 1718 samples of raw cow's milk have been analyzed during 2017 and 2018. Comparison of the data showed that the number of examined samples with values for aflatoxin M1 above the allowed limits, according to the regulation is in 2018 (10 samples) and 2017 (5 samples). Additionally, the calculation of exposure assessment of the human population in North Macedonia demonstrated that the exposure to AFM1 of the adult population in N. Macedonia for 2017 is 0.0563 ng/kg bw/daily, and for 2018 is 0.0824 ng/kg bw/daily. The calculated hazard index (HI) In both years, was lower than one, which means that there are no significant health risks for the consumers. It is important to have continuously low levels of aflatoxins in animal feed and nutrition, especially that the climate changes create more favorable conditions for the development of moulds of Aspergillus.

Antimicrobial Susceptibility Pattern of Enteric Bacteria from Fresh cow milk and handlers in Zaria Metropolis, Kaduna State Nigeria

A bacteriological examination of raw cow milk for the isolation of enteric based bacteria was conducted on milking cows and their handlers from selected farms in four Local Governments in Zaria, Kaduna State. The aim of the study was to check the quality of the raw cow’s milk and also verify the rate of contaminations of the raw cow’s milk from external sources which are regarded as environmental pathogens during and after milking processes. A total of 105 samples; 42 raw milks from lactating cows, 42 swabs from cow teat, 16 swabs from herd handlers and 5 samples from water used in the cleaning process were obtained. The raw milk samples were screened using a Methylene dye reagent to check its microbial load before analysis began, the total bacteria count (TBC) and total coliform count (TCC) were analyzed using the standard cultural methods. The isolates were identified using the standard biochemical procedure and Microgen TM System (GN-ID A+B Kit). Results revealed that one hundred and two (102) bacteria consisting of Seventy-six (76) Polymicrobial and twenty-six (26) single cultures were recovered as positive culture while three (3) had no growth. The mean TBC and TCC of raw milk observed in this study were 2.56 ± 0.40 x104cfu/ml and 1.06 ± 0.16 x104cfu/ml respectively. Acinetobacter iwoffi and other members of Enterobacteriaceae isolates were resistant to tetracycline (68.75%), erythromycin (71.74%) and metronidazole (100%), while high susceptibility was observed to gentamicin (94.34%) and chloramphenicol (80.85%). High bacterial contaminations including Multidrug-resistant bacteria were observed in this study, contaminations were majorly from improper pre and post dipping processes and the use of non-portable water

Physicochemical characterization and correlation of raw cow’s milk according to classification assigned in Panama

Introduction. Currently, there are no bibliographic or statistical records that allow establishing a correlation between the physical-chemical quality characteristics of raw cow’s milk produced in the Republic of Panama and the classification it receives. Objective. To characterize and quantify the physical-chemical parameters of the quality of raw cow’s milk and correlate these characteristics with the classification that milk receives in Panama. Materials and methods. A stratified sampling was carried out according to the classification of raw cow´s milk (grade A, B, and C), 48 of grade A, 71 of grade B, and 393 of grade C. Random samples were taken in Cocle, Veraguas, Herrera and Los Santos during the rainy season from June to September 2018. In the Chiriquí province, the sampling was conducted during the dry season, from January to March 2019. In addition, it was necessary to have at least 512 producers or farms, so that the analysis reached a confidence level of 95 %, a standard deviation of 5 %, and a limit of error of 5 %. Results. The values found allow us to consider that the milk produced in Panama has the physical-chemical characteristics according to international standards. The correlation analysis indicated that the protein had a high relationship with solids non-fat (SNF), density (D), and lactose (L) (0.93, 0.91, and 0.96, respectively); also L is strongly related to SNF and D (0.94 and 0, 91, respectively). Conclusions. The analysis of variance did not allow to establish significant differences between the three existing classifications in the country, which allow a distribution of milk according to the grades of these parameters. However, it was possible to establish the existing correlation between some of these parameters.

Production of Antifungal Gelatinase by Enterococcus durans S2C and Its Potential Role in the Biological Control

Probiotic bacteria are good sources for antimicrobial and are normal microbiota of the gastrointestinal tract of animals and humans. Enterococci are found everywhere in nature and have been utilized as probiotics in the food industry. In the present study, Enterococcus durans S2C strain was isolated from raw cow’s milk using the culture-dependent method and evaluated for antifungal properties. The strain S2C showed promising extracellular proteolytic activity and the extracellular peptide was an important source of antifungal activity. Besides, a low rate of antibiotic resistance and non-hemolytic activity was detected in E. durans S2C. Strong antifungal activity of E. durans against two plant pathogenic fungi namely Fusarium oxysporum and Rhizoctonia solani was also recorded. Antifungal activity evaluation showed that R. solani colony was the most inhibited fungus followed by F. oxysporum. Gelatinase enzyme having antifungal activity was also purified from E. durans S2C isolate. This study concludes that the environmental-derived E. durans S2C strain can be selected for technological application to control pathogenic fungi and to protect the economic value of the crops. © 2021 Friends Science Publishers

Raw Milk-Induced Protection against Food Allergic Symptoms in Mice Is Accompanied by Shifts in Microbial Community Structure

The mechanism underlying the allergy-protective effects of raw cow’s milk is still unknown, but the modulation of the gut microbiome may play a role. The effects of consuming raw cow’s milk or processed milk on fecal microbial communities were therefore characterized in an experimental murine model. C3H/HeOuJ mice were treated with raw milk, pasteurized milk, skimmed raw milk, pasteurized milk supplemented with alkaline phosphatase (ALP), or phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) for eight days prior to sensitization and challenge with ovalbumin (OVA). Fecal samples were collected after milk exposure and after OVA sensitization, and microbiomes were characterized using 16S ribosomal RNA gene amplicon sequencing. Treatment with raw milk prior to OVA sensitization increased the relative abundance of putative butyrate-producing bacteria from the taxa Lachnospiraceae UCG-001, Lachnospiraceae UCG-008, and Ruminiclostridium 5 (Clostridial clusters XIVa and IV), while it decreased the relative abundance of Proteobacterial genera such as Parasutterella, a putative pro-inflammatory bacterial genus. This effect was observed after eight days of raw milk exposure and became more pronounced five weeks later, after allergic sensitization in the absence of milk. Similar trends were observed after treatment with skimmed raw milk. Conversely, the feeding of pasteurized milk led to a loss of allergy protection and a putative dysbiotic microbiome. The addition of ALP to pasteurized milk restored the protective effect observed with raw milk and mitigated some of the microbial community alterations associated with milk pasteurization. Raw milk-induced protection against food allergic symptoms in mice is accompanied by an increased relative abundance of putative butyrate-producing Clostridiales and a decreased relative abundance of putative pro-inflammatory Proteobacteria. Given the safety concerns regarding raw milk consumption, this knowledge is key for the development of new, microbiologically safe, preventive strategies to reduce the incidence of allergic diseases.