Abstract
Different types of milk products, such as kwacha golla, mawa, cheese, curd, and chocolate are popular in Bangladesh. However, the microbiological safety of these products is poorly understood. This study was performed to assess the microbiological quality of kwacha golla, a local milk product. Kwacha golla samples were collected from ten different areas of Rajshahi and Kushtia regions, and the quality of the each sample was assessed using various parameters including standard plate count, total coliform, fecal coliform, total fungi, and spore-forming bacteria, as well as food-borne microorganisms. Out of 300 samples, total coliform was detected at 56.66% (n=300), exceeding the minimum allowable limit of 36.66%. Similarly, experiments were carried out with fungi and food-borne pathogens including Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella sp., and Staphylococcus aureus. Results revealed 85.33, 53, and 49.33% of the samples were contaminated by fungi, E. coli, and L. monocytogenes, respectively. However, all samples showed no contaminations of Salmonella sp. and Staphylococcus sp. Therefore, this study could be helpful to the people of Bangladesh by providing information on the possibility of a major health problem caused by the consumption of kwacha golla.