The effect of a sanitizing agent with nisin on the microbiota of the skin of the udder of a cow and the quality of milk

Goal. To determine the effectiveness of cleaning the skin of teats before milking cows using the product Sunskin, and to study the effect of this agent on the quality of freshly milked milk. Methods. The selection of washes and samples; microbiological studies were carried out in accordance with DSTU 4834:2007, DSTU IDF 122C:2003, DSTU 7357:2013, DSTU IDF 100B:2003, and the methodological recommendations “Microbiological studies of cow udder secretion for the isolation and identification of mastitis pathogens”. Results. It was established that the use of the product Sunskin on dairy farms before milking cows removed 92% of the microbiota from the skin of the teats. At the same time, the number of microorganisms of the genus Staphylococcus on the skin of teats before milking decreased by 78%, and bacteria of the E. coli group — by 99.8%, and that contributed to the fact that the number of cases of subclinical mastitis in cows became 2.1 times lower (p≤0.05). When using the product Sunskin for treating the skin of teats before milking cows, the content of mesophilic aerobic and facultative anaerobic microorganisms (MAFAnM) in freshly milked milk was 1.5 times lower (p≤0.05) - approximately 40 thousand/cm3, which made it possible to obtain milk with a significantly greater reserve of microbiological resistance. This contributed to its longer storage and transfer to processing as extragrade raw materials. Sunskin is not inferior in effectiveness to the foreign analog Oxy Foam. In addition, it is environmentally safe, as it contains only natural substances, in particular nisin and lactic acid, which serve as preservatives in the production of dairy products, and can be effectively used on dairy farms even in the organic production of raw milk. Conclusions. The use of the Sunskin product before milking cows reduced the microbial load on the skin of the teats, prevented the occurrence of subclinical mastitis, and allowed obtaining raw milk with a number of microorganisms up to 100 thousand/cm3, i.e. extra grade.