DOI: 10.36347/sasjm.2021.v07i09.004

Pages: 395-406

Milk is a highly nutritious food that can be obtained from a variety of animal sources and is used for human consumption. Raw milk is generally considered an ideal growth medium for microorganisms, since it provides ideal conditions and nutrients for their growth. This study was aimed at assessing fungi and parasites present in fresh cow milk. 50 samples of fresh cow milk were collected randomly from five herds and subjected to parasitological and fungal assessment. 2 ml of each the milk samples was subjected to centrifugation, decanted and stained with Lugol’s iodine to view for parasites. 2ml of each sample was spread over the surface of Potato Dextrose Agar to encourage the growth of fungi. Aspergillus spp., Mucor spp., and Rhizopus spp. were the fungi found. The number of fugal colonies was 126, 23, 7 and 19 for yeasts, Rhizopus spp., Aspergillus spp. and Mucor spp. and respectively. Cryptosporidium spp. and Toxoplasma spp. were the parasites found. The high amount of microorganisms emphasizes the need for pasteurization and sterilization.