Best Practices for Managing Awassi Sheep Milk and milk processing 5 Best Practices for Managing Awassi Sheep 5-Milking and Milk Processing The information in this booklet was compiled by: Muhi El-Dine Hilali and Adnan Termanini. English Version by: Muhi El-Dine Hilali Illustration, layout and design by: Fahed Hariri, English version by: Muhi El-Dine Hilali Photography by: Adnan Termanini For more information please contact: Dr. Barbara Rischkowsky [email protected] ICARDA, C/O ILRI , P. O. Box 5689, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Phone: +251 11 617 2283 Fax: +251 11 617 2001 Electronic copy can be found on: www.icarda.org Milk and milk processing 5 Contents Good quality milk .................................................................6 Evaluation of milk quality .....................................................7 Milk contamination ...............................................................8 Dealing with milk and milk tools ...........................................9 Milking.................................................................................10 Factors affecting quality ......................................................11 Processing of dairy products ...............................................12 Cream .................................................................................13 Butter ..................................................................................14 Butter oil (Ghee) ..................................................................15 Labneh................................................................................17 White cheese ......................................................................18 Feta cheese ........................................................................20 Halloumi cheese .................................................................22 Mousannara cheese ...........................................................24 Jameed ...............................................................................26 Ricotta (Karisheh) ...............................................................27 Surkeh ................................................................................28 Shankleesh ........................................................................29 Foreword This booklet is part of a ten-part series of technical Guidelines describing ‘Best practices for managing Awassi sheep’ – the dominant sheep breed in several countries across the Middle East. The series is targeted at sheep farmers and milk processors, and provides practical, easy-to-follow advice on managing Awassi sheep under dryland conditions. Efficient husbandry, feeding and milk processing are crucial in the man- agement of Awassi sheep in dry areas; but many small-scale producers are unfamiliar with simple productivity-enhancing practices. This series aims to fill this information gap, enabling farmers to increase their income from livestock while using resources more efficiently and sustainably. The series draws on the practical experience of researchers, as well as the extensive literature, to capture scientific and local knowledge in an easily accessible format in the local language. The bulletins are organized in ac- cordance with the sheep management calendar and describe the manage- ment of Awassi ewes during important physiological stages during the year. Supplementary guidelines provide additional information on each stage. These booklets were produced as part of an IFAD-ICARDA project, Scal- ing up best practices for managing Awassi dairy sheep to small- scale sheep farmers in West Asia, implemented in Syria and Lebanon in collaboration with IFAD development projects in both countries. We would like to thank all those involved in the preparation of these guide- lines and also for IFAD’s financial support to this important project. We expect these booklets will be useful to sheep farmers, milk processors, ex- tension staff, as well students of agricultural development and knowledge transfer. Dr. Nadim Khori Mahmoud Solh Dr. Mahmoud El Solh Director, Near East and North Africa Division Director General, ICARDA Program Management Department, IFAD Good quality milk Good quality milk is obtained from healthy animals and can be pro- cessed into different dairy products of high quality, that could be sold at a higher prices. Good quality milk is a guarantee for consumer health. Good quality milk is characterized by the following: • Good taste, aroma, and flavor, and is creamy white in color, • Free of impurities, drugs, medicine traces (such as antibiotics) and pesticide residues, • Low microbial load, free of disease agents, and a long expiry period. To obtain good quality milk, workers who are dealing with milk should be aware of general health rules, taking the followings points into consideration. • Wash hands and milk processing utensils and tools with clean water and soap before dealing with the milk, • Trim nails periodically, • Wear special clean clothes and rubber boots, • Do not deal with the milk if you are infected with diseases and skin inflammations, particularly hands and head, • Take a shower periodically. Milk and milk processing 6 Evaluation of milk quality To obtain good milk and high quality products, farmers should fol- low correct procedures when dealing with milk. • Exclude milk from sick animals or those being treated with an- tibiotics, • Apply the instructions for the withholding period for milk rec- ommended by the manufacturing company when vaccines and antibiotics are used, • Milk should be checked before being processed to ensure its va- lidity by using sensory tests and chemical and microbial analysis to ensure safety. Reasons for bad flavor, smell or color changes of the milk • Acidity, • Chemicals, drugs and bleaches, such as contamination with de- tergents and disinfectants, • Feed type or polluted atmosphere, • Boiling low quality milk, • Presence of smoke, • Microbial spoilage, • Rancid milk, which often happens to cow milk at the end of the season, • Oxidation due to the presence of heavy metals (such as copper), • Exposure to light. Milk and milk processing 7 Milk contamination Sources of milk contamination • Udder, • Milk man hands, • Un-clean milk utensils, • Deformed milk utensils, • Storing and transportation utensils, • Environment (dust, chemicals and insects), • Sick animals, • Sick milk man. Importance of water Water is extensively used in milk production and dairy product processing. It is important during the washing process and when the milk is indirectly heated and cooled. Hence, water should be clean and free of pollutants (pesticides and bacteria). This will pro- tect your health and that of your animals, and prevent contamina- tion and spoilage of milk and dairy products. Milk and milk processing 8 Dealing with milk and milk tools Milk containers and utensils Containers and other utensils should: • be made of materials suitable for foods, such as food grade stain- less steel. Avoid tools made of copper and its alloys, because cop- per causes oxidation and rancidity and gives non-agreeable taste, • have a smooth surface and be devoid of scratches and rusts, • have wide openings to facilitate its cleaning, • be used only for milk and milk products. Cleaning and sterilization of milk’ utensils and tools Cleaning gets rid of dirt and milk traces whereas sterilization gets rid of bacteria. • Milk containers and other utensils should be cleaned immedi- ately and regularly after use, • Washing with water is not sufficient and chemical disinfectants such as alkaline detergents (caustic soda) and acidic detergents such as sodium hypochlorite should be added (at the recom- mended rates clarified in the leaflet associated with the refill) to kill microorganisms. Milk and milk processing 9 Milking 1 • Milking should be done at the same time of the day and by the same person, • Wash and dry the udder with a clean tissue before milking, Dry the udder with a clean tis- sue after washing it. • Disinfect the teats after milking in a hypochlorite solution (such as Chlorox) at 4 percent. A tea spoon full of Chlorox is added to a small tea cup of clean water. Alternatively, an iodine solution available on the local market can be used, 2 • The Cleaning and drying of the udder prior to milking helps to get rid of dirt attached to the udder and promotes the lactation process. Use a cup to get rid of the first milk droplets. Milk cooling • Milk should be cooled directly after milking to limit bacterial growth, • The optimum temperature for milk storage is 2 - 4°C. This tem- 3 perature should be attained within two hours maximum after milking. Milk cooling is essential when there is a long expected period between milking and processing, Milking should be completed • It is recommended to process the milk immediately if no refrig- within 10 minutes. erator is available. Milk and milk processing 10 Factors affecting quality Contamination Unclean receptacles and dust increase the microbial load and re- duce the milk preservation period. Thus, it is important to ensure the cleanliness of containers and to cover them during transporta- tion. Storage temperature As temperature increases, the growth of bacteria increases at a high rate, leading to milk acidification. Thus, maintain the low temper- ature of milk by using insulated containers or placing ice blocks around them. Time delay The period between milking and milk cooling is extremely impor- tant. At the beginning, bacteria reproduce slowly but the repro- duction becomes very quick