Kavitha Vijayan, Archana Prabhat

Milk is a perishable commodity; its low acidity and high nutrient content make it the perfect breeding ground for bacteria. Milk quality control tests are designed to ensure that milk products meet accepted standards for chemical composition and purity as well as levels of different micro-organisms. To assess the quality of the different milk brands available in Kottayam district, Kerala. Using questionnaire, information was elicited among the local people, to know the highly preferred milk sample; three more samples of varied brands were selected for the present study. Microbial, organoleptic and chemical parameters tests were carried out in all the 4 samples. Government owned milk brand had the overall quality with its highest ranking of preference and absence of coliform, < 2000cfu, 0.14 level of acidity, fat content and SNF being 3.5 and 8.5 respectively. By and large, certified farms/dairy must meet provincial standards for quality milk production, adequate processing and clean premises.