Variação anual da qualidade do leite na região Oeste Catarinense

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the quality of cow milk from the West region of Santa Catarina State from 2009 to 2010 regarding total bacterial count (TBC), somatic cell count (SCC) and some physicochemical parameters according to the requirements of the Brazilian legislation (Normative Instruction No. 62/2011, MAPA). The quality parameters evaluated were fat, protein, lactose, non-fat solids, cryoscopic index, total bacterial count (TBC) and somatic cell count (SCC). The results indicated variations between years regarding protein, lactose and nonfat solids remaining higher in most of 2010, which was not observed for the cryoscopic index. The TBC was above the maximum allowed by the Brazilian legislation on the entire evaluated period, with higher values in the Autumn of both evaluated years. The SCC was high and above the standard in most of the time during 2010. In addition, relative variations were observed in the seasonal periods, with peaks in SCC in the summer of 2009 and 2010. The observed increase on physicochemical levels between the years of 2009 and 2010 might be related to the payment of bonus for milk quality, which has been widely applied by the dairy industry to farmers in the region. High SCC and TBC indicate herd health issues and poor hygienic measures during milking and handling of the milk, which could affect the milk and its derivatives quality.