Effect of Heat Treatment on Keeping Quality of Camel Milk

he present study was conducted to evaluate the microbial load (total bacteria, coliforms, total yeast and mould, psychrotrophic bacteria, thermophilic bacteria, and thermoduric bacterial counts) of raw and heattreated camel milk. Five batches of camel milk samples (1 liter/ batch) were used during the period between January to April 2011. The samples were immediately transferred to Dairy Microbiology Laboratory, Faculty of Animal Production, U. of K. Each batch was divided into 3 portions. one was left as control and the other two were heated at 63°C for 30 minutes (LTLT) and 72°C for 15 seconds (HTST). The samples were then stored at refrigeration temperature (8°C). The microbiological examinations were carried out at day 1, 5, 9, 13 and 17, while acidity and clot on boiling test were done daily to determine the shelf life of raw and heat-treated camel milk. The results revealed low total bacterial count in the heat-treated milk that ranged from 9.4×106 cfu/ml to 2.4×107 and 7.6×106 to 2.4×107 cfu/ml at LTLT and HTST, respectively, while in the raw samples the mean values was 3.02×1010 to 3.2×1010 cfu/ml. The results showed low coliforms count in the heat-treated milk, ranging from 4.2×105 to 1.4×106 and 4.09×105 to 1.4×106 cfu/ml at LTLT and HTST, respectively, while in the raw samples the range was 1.1×107 - 1.4×107 cfu/ml. The results revealed low thermoduric bacterial count in the heat-treated milk (6.2×105 to 2.03×106 and 6.1×105 to 2.03×106 cfu/ml at ix LTLT and HTST, respectively) compared with the raw milk samples (1.3×108 to 1.8×108). The results also showed lower for both total yeast and mould count and psychrotrophic bacterial count in the heat treated milk than in the raw milk samples. The results indicated highly significant (P