Handling, processing and utilization practices of Milk products in the highlands of Southern Tigray, Ethiopia
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Date
2012-04-20
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Cross-sectional study was carried out with the aim of assessing milk products handling,
processing and characterize the utilization practices in dairy farmers of Ofla, Enda-Mekoni
and Emba-Alaje Weredas in highlands of Southern Tigray, Ethiopia. A total of 156
households possessing a dairy farm, of which 47 urban, 20 periurban and 89 rural were
studied using Probability prop0l1ionai to size approach sample determination. Peculiarity of
the area was that butter hair ointment and custom of dying white close in to greyish was
different to the utilization of milk products in Ethiopia. Out of the total respondents,
42.31 %of them sell fresh milk, 1.92% buttermilk and yoghurt, 98.08% butter to consumers of
which 93.26% of them were rural respondents. Milk products handling and processing were
using local vessels treated with different plant materials by cleaning and smoking. Milking
vessels that are in use for the purposes include 'gibar' (9.62%), plastic materials (55.13%)
and 'karfo' (35.26%). Farn1ers use different utensils for souring milk which included 'qurae'
made of clay pot (16%), plastic vessels (54.5%) or gourd (29.5%) whereas for storing ghee
66.03% of the respondents use in plastic, followed by 30.13% who used 'qurae' and 3.21 % of
them use stainless steel vessels. There was significant (p<0.05) difference in the use of
churning vessels in the study area where 93.6% of respondents use' laga ' while the others use
water tight plastic vessel. Butter handling practice is generally using 'qorie' that could vary in
size and type made from glass (2.6%), stainless steel (6.5%), log (7.1%), 14.2% 'gibar',
plastic (17.4%) and gourd (52.3%). The log 'qorie' was best butter handling material, but not
easily accessible. Butter milk termed as 'awuso' and spiced butter milk 'hazo' are stored in
clay pot, plastic and stainless steel. For improving the shelf life of the different milk products,
fanners use various species of plants which are used for cleaning and smoking of utensils
used for storing the products. These included: Olea europaea, Dodoneae angustifohia and
Anethum graveolens were dominant plants exploited for smoking milk vessels while Cliclimis
prophertarum, Zehneria scabra (L. fil) sonder and Achyranthes aspera were all rough in
nature to clean the grooves of the clay pot and churner. Identification of the active ingredients
contained in these plants would help their commercial use for improving the shelf life of milk
and milk products at a smallholder level as well as at a larger scale with the aim of increasing
the income generation capacity of dairy enterprises.
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Keywords
Milk handling and processing, milk physico-chemical properties, plants