Determination of hygiene status of milk sold in Lahore, Pakistan
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32734/m4nt4952Keywords:
Milk, Hygiene, Dairy, Nutrient, PakistanAbstract
Although milk is a vital source of nutrients and energy, its safety depends heavily on sanitary handling, storage, and marketing procedures. This study used proximate analysis, microbial load estimation, and field-based hygiene assessments to examine the cleanliness state of raw milk sold in Lahore, Pakistan. In accordance with AOAC protocols, samples were gathered from two disparate urban areas (Iqbal Town and Gulberg) and examined for fat, protein, moisture, ash, acidity, total solids, and solids-not-fat content. The Methylene Blue Reduction Test (MBRT) and the Total Bacterial Count (TBC) were used to evaluate the microbiological quality. The majority of the samples did not meet Punjab Pure Food and Codex requirements, according to the data. According to MBRT results, just 13.3% of samples were good, 23.3% were fair, and 63.6% were of poor quality. In almost every instance, TBC levels were higher above allowable limits, suggesting a substantial danger of microbiological contamination. These findings were supported by field surveys, which showed that 80% of vendors sold milk in thin plastic bags that encourage bacterial growth and chemical contamination, 35% used containers that were not properly cleaned, and 65% of vendors had poor personal hygiene. Pathogens including Salmonella, Listeria, and E. coli pose major health concerns to the population, and the lack of cold chain management further degraded milk quality. In order to guarantee milk safety and the welfare of consumers, the study emphasizes the critical need for more hygienic enforcement, better transportation and storage procedures, and awareness campaigns.
Downloads
References
Akinjogunla, O. J., Akaka, B. C., Okon, M. U., Inyang, C. U., Umoh, M. I., & Etukudo, I. U. (2022). Serological identification, virulence factors, antibiogram, and plasmid profile of Escherichia coli serotypes in raw milk and pasteurized milk products. Scientific African, 17, e01314.
AOAC (Association of Official Analytical Chemists). (1990). Official methods of analysis (62, pp. 2742–2744). Association of Analytical Chemists.
Arif, A. M., Javed, I., Ayaz, M., Abdullah, M., Imran, M., Rashid, A., ... & Martorell, M. (2020). Chemical composition, adulteration, total microbial load, and heavy metal in raw milk samples collected from dairy farms and urban areas in Lahore District, Pakistan. Journal of Food Safety, 40(1), e12729.
Arif, A., Abbas, S., Sibt-e-Abbas, M., Ahmed, S., Usman, M., & Ilyas, S. (2024). Nutritional and physio-chemical comparison of fresh, raw, and commercial milk. Insights: Journal of Health and Rehabilitation, 2(2 [Health & Rehab]), 309–317.
Arjuna, V. M. (2017). Development and validation of formulae for the estimation of solids not fat and total solids content in cow and buffalo milk (Doctoral dissertation, National Dairy Research Institute).
Arvanitoyannis, I. S. (2010). Irradiation of food commodities: Techniques, applications, detection, legislation, safety and consumer opinion. Academic Press.
Barbano, D. M., Ma, Y., & Santos, M. D. (2006). Influence of raw milk quality on fluid milk shelf life. Journal of Dairy Science, 89, E15–E19.
Belbachir, C., Khamri, M., & Saalaoui, E. (2015). Microbiological quality of the raw cow milk at three rural communes of the eastern region of Morocco. International Food Research Journal, 22(4).
Flottorp, S., Farah, M. G., Thürmer, H., Johansen, M., & Fretheim, A. (2018). Non-pharmacological interventions to reduce the risk for cardiovascular disease: A summary of systematic reviews.
Fox, P. F., Uniacke-Lowe, T., McSweeney, P. L. H., & O’Mahony, J. A. (2015). Heat-induced changes in milk. In Dairy chemistry and biochemistry (pp. 345–375). Springer International Publishing.
Gapur, Abdul. 2024. Disfemisme : Dalam Ragam Bahasa Pria Jepang Pada Manga. Binjai: Abdul Media Literasi. https://amedialiterasi.com/index.php/Book/article/view/12.
Gapur, Abdul, Taulia, and Muhammad Kiki Wardana. 2024. “Exploring the Linguistic Landscape of Public Elementary Schools in Medan: Understanding Forms and Functions.” International Journal of Cultural and Art Studies 8 (1): 55–73. https://doi.org/10.32734/ijcas.v8i1.16989.
Garcia, O., Mahmood, K., & Hemme, T. (2003). A review of milk production in Pakistan with particular emphasis on small-scale producers.
Getachew, M. (2003). Economic valuation of antiretroviral drugs in Ethiopia: Application of CVM (Master’s thesis, Addis Ababa University, School of Economics).
Haider, I., Li, C., & Viet Ha, T. T. (2025). Climate change’s influence on dairy farming in Punjab, Pakistan: Effects on milk production, farmers’ views, and future adaptation strategies. Agriculture, 15(11), 1179.
Hussain, M., Akhtar, S., Nooruddin, S., & Ahmad, K. (n.d.). 20th Annual Post Graduate Medical Education Conference – Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan.
International Commission on Microbiological Specifications for Foods (ICMSF). (2006). Microorganisms in foods 6: Microbial ecology of food commodities (Vol. 6). Springer Science & Business Media.
Kanwal, R., Ahmed, T., & Mirza, B. (2004). Comparative analysis of quality of milk collected from buffalo, cow, goat, and sheep of Rawalpindi/Islamabad region in Pakistan. Asian Journal of Plant Sciences, 3(3), 300–305.
Khan, K., Khan, H., Lu, Y., Ihsanullah, I., Nawab, J., Khan, S., ... & Maryam, A. (2014). Evaluation of toxicological risk of foodstuffs contaminated with heavy metals in Swat, Pakistan. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 108, 224–232.
Khan, T. I., Ehtisham-ul-Haque, S., Waheed, U., Khan, I., Younus, M., & Ali, S. (2018). Milk Indirect-ELISA and Milk Ring Test for screening of brucellosis in buffaloes, goats, and bulk tank milk samples collected from two districts of Punjab, Pakistan. Pakistan Veterinary Journal, 38(1).
Kilango, K. (2011). Food safety in milk markets of smallholder farmers in Tanzania: A case of peri-urban wards in Temeke Municipality (Doctoral dissertation, Sokoine University of Agriculture).
Kontominas, M. G. (2010). Packaging and the shelf life of milk. In Food packaging and shelf life: A practical guide (pp. 81–102). CRC Press.
Lucey, J. A. (2015). Raw milk consumption: Risks and benefits. Nutrition Today, 50(4), 189–193.
Lynch, J. M., & Barbano, D. M. (1999). Kjeldahl nitrogen analysis as a reference method for protein determination in dairy products. Journal of AOAC International, 82(6), 1389–1398.
Muhammad, K., Altaf, I., Hanif, A., Anjum, A. A., & Tipu, M. Y. (2009). Monitoring of hygienic status of raw milk marketed in Lahore city, Pakistan.
Nadeem, M., & Ahmad, M. H. (2024). Sustaining the dairy sector in Pakistan: Challenges and strategies for growth.
Nawaz, T., Rehman, Z. U., Ullah, R., Ahmed, N., & Sayed, S. M. (2022). Physicochemical and adulteration study of fresh milk collected from different locations in Pakistan. Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences, 29(12), 103449.
O’Mahony, F. (1988). Rural dairy technology: Experiences in Ethiopia (Vol. 4). ILRI.
Rehman, A., Jingdong, L., Chandio, A. A., & Hussain, I. (2017). Livestock production and population census in Pakistan: Determining their relationship with agricultural GDP using econometric analysis. Information Processing in Agriculture, 4(2), 168–177.
Richardson, C. J. (1985). Mechanisms controlling phosphorus retention capacity in freshwater wetlands. Science, 228(4706), 1424–1427.
Shahzad, M. A. (2022). The need for national livestock surveillance in Pakistan. Journal of Dairy Research, 89(1), 13–18.
Smith, N. W., Fletcher, A. J., Hill, J. P., & McNabb, W. C. (2022). Modeling the contribution of milk to global nutrition. Frontiers in Nutrition, 8, 716100.
Wasim, M. P. (2005). Milk production response in Pakistan. The Lahore Journal of Economics, 10(1), 105–121.
White, F. M., & McCarthy, M. E. (1982). Raw milk and health in humans. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 126(11), 1260.
Zafar, M. S., Qaisrani, S. N., Saima, Hayat, Z., & Nauman, K. (2025). Impacts of protease sources on growth and carcass response, gut health, nutrient digestibility, and cecal microbiota profiles in broilers fed poultry-by-product-meal-based diets. Metabolites, 15(7), 445.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Sonia Fatima, Asim Zubair, Huma Fatima, Ayesha Ayesha, Ayesha Tehreem (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
- Authors agree to publish their work under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license.
- Authors retain copyright to their work and may reuse or distribute it.
- HUMANIOLA reserves the right to request revisions and make final publication decisions.
- Authors are responsible for ensuring that their work does not infringe upon third-party copyrights.
- Archiving in digital repositories may be done for long-term access and preservation.
