Effect of added nopal cactus (Opuntia ficus-indica) on microbial content in raw milk

) represents an alternative for cattle feed during the drought season in the drier regions of Mexico. Previously, we have shown that feed with the addition of nopal reduced aerobic mesophiles (AM) and coliform (C) counts in milk. In order to determine whether the nopal additive has some direct effect on the microbiological quality of milk, nopal mucilage (NM), nopal epidermis (NE) and ground nopal (GN) were added to 84 samples of raw milk at concentrations of 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0% for each fraction. After 2 h of exposure, 100 ml aliquots were taken and bacterial growth was assessed. Log