Quality aspects of raw goat milk in Lower Southern Thailand.

This study was conducted to determine the quality and safety of raw goat milk in Lower Southern Thailand during August to September 2008. Milk samples were collected from five farms in Songkhla, Yala, and Pattani Province of which the pH, acidity, specific gravity, milk fat, solid not fat, total solid, total plate count, Coliform count, and antibiotic residue were tested. The results did not show any significant difference (p>0.05) on pH and total plate count among samples from each farm. However, acidity, specific gravity, milk fat, solid not fat, and total solid varied between farms depending on feed supply and management. Means of total bacteria count and Coliform count of most samples were in TACF standard quality (log 3.720 cfu/ml and log 1.892 cfu/ml, respectively), except four samples had higher Coliform contamination. Additionally, a higher proportion (22.7 %) of samples with antibiotic residue was found.