Water buffalo milk

According to the latest available statistics (28), world milk production accounts for an estimated 600 million tons, with an increase of 1.5% over the previous year. Cow milk represents 84%, water buffalo milk 12%, and goat and ewe milk 3%, with a major contribution to this growth provided by water buffalo milk, mainly produced on the Indian subcontinent. Gross income from dairy products in 2002 amounted to more than US 92 billion. This figure explains why the dairy industry is interested in using simple and reliable quality control methods to produce high-quality products at the lowest possible cost. 

The water buffalo Bubalus bubalis), also known as the old-world buffalo or domestic buffalo, is a common species of livestock in tropical countries. The water buffalo is commonly used as a draft animal, particularly for plowing wet fields, for example, in the cultivation of paddy rice. This species is also utilized for its meat, and for milk. 

Ghee is clarified butter from the milk of water buffaloes or cows. Although the butter is heated enough to ehm-inate non-sporulating organisms, the process is unlikely to kill the spores of Clostridium tetani. This may explain why a case-control study in rural areas of Pakistan identified its traditional use as an umbilical cord dressing as a risk factor for the development of neonatal tetanus (24). 

Enterococci occur in a variety of cheeses, especially artisan cheeses produced in mostly Mediterranean countries from raw or pasteurized goat s, ewe s, water-buffalo s or bovine milk. Numbers of enterococci in different cheese curd range from l(f to 10 CPU g", and in the fully ripened cheeses their range is from 10 to 10 CPU g" (Franz et al. 2003). The most frequently isolated species are E. faecalis and E. faecium (Gelsomino et al. 2001), followed by E. durans (Cosentino et al. 2004 Suzzi et al. 2000). The European cheeses in which enterococci have been studied are in Table 3. 

Product intrinsic attributes 1. Perishability and rapid deterioration in quality of milk and milk products with time and temperature. 2. Variability in milk and miUc products due to variation in fat and SNF content of cow and buffalo milk variation due to difference in cattle feed, fodder, genetic composition, breed, etc. 3. Seasonality lack of milk production in lean season due to lack of green fodder lack of milk production due to lack of drinking water for the cattle in lean season use of skimmed powder for production of milk and milk products in lean season high production of milk and mUk products in flush season... 

Animals provide needed power. In the developing nations, cattle, water buffalo, donkeys, and horses still provide much of the agricultural power. Such draft animals are a part of the agricultural scene of Asia, Africa, the Near East, Latin America, and parts of Europe areeis characterized by small farms, low incomes, abundance of manpower, and lack of capital. They can E)e fueled on roughages to produce power, a most important consideration in times of energy shortage and E th cattle and water buffalo may be used for work, milk, and meat... 

Ghee is a solid fat-based product made in India from cow- or buffalo-ripened milk. It is less perishable than butter and, therefore, more suitable for a tropical climate. Milk is curdled. The curd is then manually churned until it precipitates butter and leaves behind some whey. The butter is then heated on a low flame until a layer of white froth covers the surface. This state indicates the end of the process, and the liquid obtained on filtering the suspension is pure ghee. Ghee is made by simmering unsalted butter in a large pot until all water has boiled off and protein... 

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