Physicochemical Quality of Cow Raw Milk Produced in the Fkih Ben Saleh Area

Abstract

The main objective of the present study was to evaluate the physicochemical quality of raw cow milk produced in Fkih Ben Saleh,
one of the major milk production areas in Beni Mellal-Khenifra region in Morocco located in the North-Centre of Morocco. Physicochemical quality of raw milk was determined by assessing the analysis of Fat Content “FC”, Protein Content “PC”, Total
Solids “TS”, Solids No-Fat “SNF”, Acidity “Ac”, Brix “Bx”, Density “Ds”, Temperature “T°” and Alcohol Test “AT”, using
recognized standardized methods and infrared methods for better assessing of characteristics (fat, protein, total solids and no-fat
solids contents). The results obtained from this study showed an average ranging from 34.06 to 38.60 g/l, 30.01 to 31.61 g/l, 40.53
to 42.52 g/l, 116.03 to 121.51 g/l, 88.88 to 90.85 g/l, 9.87 to 10% for FC, PC, LC, TS, SNF and Bx, respectively. On the other hand, an average ranging from 14.62 to 15.04 D°, 6.68 to 6.76, 1.0208 to 1.0494, 0.517 to 0.532 was showed for Ac, pH, Ds and FP, respectively. Furthermore, all milk samples tested for AT were, in most cases, normal at different concentrations of 79, 76, 74 and 68% while T° of all samples collected from bulk milk was under 06 °C. The present findings showed a good quality of the milk produced in this area in terms of chemical and physical criteria. Finally, the milk originated from Fkih Ben Saleh could be considered as an important riche and source of fabrication of dairy products with high quality.