EVALUATION OF THE QUALITY AND PRESENCE OF ANTIMICROBIAL RESIDUES IN RAW MILK IN THE EXTREME SOUTH OF BAIANO
quality control; dairy cattle farming; dairy productivity, contamination.
For milk to be considered safe for human consumption, it is essential that it meets the quality, microbiological and physical-chemical composition requirements established by legislation. Therefore, the study carried out aims to evaluate the quality of raw milk from the informal market in the municipality of Teixeira de Freitas, in the Far South of Bahia, Brazil. The work is divided into three chapters: 1st - Comparative Analysis of Milk Production in the State of Bahia in a National Context: Using data from IBGE and CEPEA between 2010 and 2022, the study analyzes milk production in Bahia in comparison with other regions of the Brazil, highlighting issues such as animal productivity, seasonality in food availability and adoption of technologies. 2nd - Quality Assessment of Raw Milk Sold Clandestinely in the Teixeira de Freitas Microregion, Bahia: 16 samples of 1000 mL of raw milk were acquired in different commercial establishments and open-air markets in the region. The samples were analyzed for the presence of antimicrobial residues, somatic cell count, microbiological analysis, density, presence of adulterants and pH. 3 - Characterization of the Centesimal Composition and Quality of Raw Bovine Milk Sold in the Municipality of Teixeira de Freitas, Bahia: Samples of 1000 mL of raw milk were collected in five different neighborhoods of the municipality over a period of six weeks. The samples were analyzed to quantify total and thermotolerant coliforms, detect antibiotic residues and proximate analysis. The results show that milk production in Bahia is stable, but animal productivity is lower compared to other regions of the country, due to factors such as seasonality in food availability and lack of professional management. Analysis of raw milk samples revealed contamination by total and thermotolerant coliforms, presence of antibiotic residues and pH outside the normal range in many samples. The ilegal sale of raw milk in the region poses significant risks to public health and is also a socioeconomic problem.