Comprehensive analysis of physicochemical properties and bacteriological quality of Yak, Dzomo, and Hill cattle milk from the Northern Himalayas

Among various sources of foods, animal-origin products such as milk, meat, eggs, etc. are important sources of biological proteins and are also considered high-value commodities to humans [1].Therefore, together with nutrition, they are an integral component of major economies.Among these, milk is one of the most widely consumed foods and a sizable number of people consume milk and milk products daily in their diet.Himachal Pradesh, a northern Himalayan state of India is bestowed with great biodiversity in flora and fauna.It is rich in domesticated species like yak, hill cattle (recently recognized as the "Pahari cow" breed by NBAGR), Gaddi sheep, and poultry (Himsamridhi).The hill cattle along with yak and their hybrid (dzomo) are a major source of milk for people living in highaltitude regions such as Kinnaur, Lahaul, and Spiti of ABSTRACT: The current investigation was aimed to assess the physicochemical and bacteriological quality of raw milk (N=223) obtained from Yaks, Yak hybrids (Dzomo) and Indigenous hill cattle (Pahari) reared in high-altitude regions of the Northern Himalayas.Results revealed significant variations in the milk composition among the three species.Hill cattle milk exhibited a pH of 6.46 0.11, specific gravity of 1.028 0.078, 4.40 0.14% fat, 8.58 0.30% SNF, 13.14 0.58% TS, 4.54 0.05% lactose, and 3.50 0.10% protein.Dzomo milk had a pH value of 7.10 0.05, specific gravity of 1.028 0.013, 7.03 1.80% fat, 6.13 1.61% SNF, 12.75 1.24% TS, 2.61 0.81% lactose, and 2.53 0.79% protein.Yak milk had a pH of 6.78 0.13, specific gravity of 1.027 0.011, 5.25 0.69 % fat, 8.58 0.21 % SNF, 12.72 0.71 % TS, 4.46 0.24 % lactose, and 3.31 0.16 % protein.9.4% of the samples had total viable counts more than the permissible limits set by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).Only 2 samples were found to contain E. coli indicating hygienic practices being followed in the study region.The overall results revealed good quality of milk, reflecting fairly good animal husbandry practices being adopted by farmers in high-altitude regions.