THE EFFECT OF ACTIVATION OF THE LACTOPEROXIDASE SYSTEM AND SOURING ONCERTAIN POTENTIAL HUMAN PATHOGENS IN COWS MILK

Conventional methods of ensuring the safety and soundness of cows' mil k for human consumption, such as pasteurisation, are not always practi cal in poor socioeconomic conditions or in rural communities that lack modern amenities. Activation of lactoperoxidase (LP) system and souri ng of milk were investigated as potential alternative methods to susta in the safety of milk by inhibiting certain microorganisms with known pathogenic potential. The activation of the LP-system inhibited the gr owth of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli by the order of 2 l og values. The inhibition of Brucella abortus was negligible. The repl ication of Coxiella burnetti in milk was not disturbed even after 17 h of LP-system activation at 20 degrees C, but the outcome of the LF-sy stem treatment on Mycobacterium bovis could not be determined as the c onventional culturing technique used to grow this organism did not all ow full recovery. Souring inhibited the growth of S. aureus and E. coi l also by the order of 2 log values. From the results obtained in this investigation are concluded that the activation of the LP-system and souring can be used to inhibit the growth of S. aureus and E. coli in cows' milk, thereby increasing its safety.