State of the art of breeding, milking, and milk processing for the production of curdled milk and Wagashi Gassire in Benin: Practices favoring the contamination of its dairy products

IntroductionThis study aimed to identify the factors favoring the contamination of raw cow's milk, curdled milk, and Wagashi Gassire cheese during their production and preservation in order to develop strategies to improve their quality. MethodsA cross-sectional survey of 401 randomly selected stakeholders encompassing all levels of the dairy production chain in the Nikki and Dassa-Zoume communes of Benin was conducted. The data obtained were analyzed using the SAS software for the calculation of frequencies and the R software for classifying the stakeholders based on the hygiene practices they adopted during the production and conservation of raw cow's milk, curdled milk, and Wagashi Gassire. Results and discussionThe study identified three types of dairy farmers based on how they medically treated their cattle and implemented hygiene practices, including farmers who (1) relied on themselves or received help from veterinarians trained in animal husbandry and milking to monitor the animals on their farms; (2) relied only on veterinarians; and (3) relied only on themselves. The majority of these dairy farmers felt that hygienic milking practices were very restrictive and difficult to implement. In addition, three groups of Wagashi Gassire producers were identified: (1) producers trained in good hygiene practices who did not boil or sundry the cheese; (2) producers lacking the infrastructure to protect from weather exposure who used all parts of Calotropis procera for colored Wagashi Gassire production; and (3) producers who did not often filter the milk and boiled the Wagashi Gassire in bags before immersion in simple water or whey. The sanitary quality of milk and milk products is influenced by the diverse handling practices employed by producers. These practices must be considered according to the types of farmers and processors when suggesting improved intervention policies.

Automated summary

This study aimed to identify the factors favoring the contamination of raw cow's milk, curdled milk, and Wagashi Gassire cheese during their production and preservation in order to develop strategies to improve their quality. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among dairy stakeholders in Benin to analyze their hygiene practices and classify them based on their methods of milk production and cheese making. The study concluded that the diverse handling practices employed by producers have an impact on the sanitary quality of milk and milk products.