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35 (1979). Our findings show that the protein content of powder milk is close to these levels. According to the ADMI, the average protein concentration of dry whole milk is 26.4 g/1OOg (1962). This study was nearly identical to ADMI. Dry whole milk contains 27.20% protein. (Eckles et al., 1951). Our findings contradict these assertions.
The protein composition of the A, B, C, D, E packing forms was (not indicated) 22 gm, 26 gm, 24 gm, (25-27) gm, (34-36) gm. However, in our research, we discovered some departure from the previously indicated numbers (Table 3). For example, Bs' protein content was listed on the packaging as 26gm/100 grams, while in our analysis it was (22.14 ± 0.23), (22.14 ± 0.26), and (22.31 ± 0.14) for treatments 1, 2, 3.
5.1.3 Ash
This study discovered that the average Ash content in powder milk samples ranged from (5.22 ± 0.31) to (5.52 ± 0.05). In this study, the lower ash content is in B from treatment 2, with an ash concentration of (5.22 ± 0.31), whereas C has a higher ash concentration of (5.52 ± 0.05). The ash of various types of milk powder collected from a local market showed statistically insignificant variations (Table 4). The ash content of the powder samples was found to be lower than the Sudanese (SSMO, 1999) standard of 7.3% and the USA standard of 6.0% (Table 4) (FDSPM, 2003).
5.1.4 Moisture
Because increased moisture would create a humid area that is suitable for the growth of molds or some anaerobic bacteria, the moisture percentage in milk powder should not exceed 5% (Gasmalla et al., 2013). This is because the percentage of moisture in milk powder should not exceed 5%. Again, a low moisture content would indicate that the manufacturing process may have involved overdrying, which would have the effect of diminishing the flavor of the final product.
According to the findings of our data analysis, the moisture content of powdered milk typically falls somewhere in the range of (3.01 ± 0.37) to (4.14 ± 0.06) g/100g on average (Table 5). In this investigation, the E sample had a moisture content that was significantly lower than that of the D sample (3.01 ± 0.37 g/100g for treatment 3), while the moisture content of the D sample was significantly higher (4.14 ± 0.06 g/100g for treatment 4). We found the moisture content of C to be (3.54 ± 0.24), (3.52 ± 0.22), and (3.25 ± 0.15), all of which are in stark contrast to the findings of the study conducted
36 by Kajal et al., 2012, in which they discovered that the average moisture content in C was (4.49 ± 1.04%). Our findings on the moisture content of C are much more accurate.
It was discovered that the moisture content of the various kinds of milk powder that were purchased from the neighborhood market did not differ significantly from one another (Table 5). The BDS 860:2020 report indicates that the typical amount of moisturepresent in dried whole milk powder is 5.0. The current investigation fell into the same ballpark as the standards outlined in BDS 860: 2020. According to the ADMI (1971), the amount of moisture that whole milk powder contains falls somewhere between two and five percent. The findings of the current study were in agreement with the ADMI standard's range. On the contrary, the BSTI estimates that the amount of moisture that can be present in whole milk powder is no more than 4%. Therefore, the findings of our study support the statement (Table 5).
5.1.5 Acidity
Acidity means a solution contains hydrogen ions. Acidity percentage is the amount of hydrogen ions in 100 ml of solution. Normal powdered milk acidity is 0.17%;
deviations indicate improper processing (Priyanka et al., 2022).
Our study found an acidity average of (0.13 ± 0.02 to 0.16 ± 0.05) (Table 6). It was found that there were statistically significant differences between the brands in treatment 3. In comparison to the acidity of the other five samples of powder milk, the average value obtained from C (0.16 ± 0.05) for treatment 1 was significantly higher, while the average value obtained from marks (0.13 ± 0.01) was significantly lower for treatments 1 and 2 (Table 6). Dry whole milk powders should have an acidity level of (0.15%), as suggested by BSTI and ADMI (1971). According to the BSTI and ADMI benchmarks, the accuracy of the current study was satisfactory. It was reported by Judkins and Keener (1960) that the typical acidity of commercial milk is between 0.08 and 0.23%. The acidity of regular milk samples is typically between 0.10 and 0.18 percent, with an average of 0.16 percent. The acidity of regular milk samples, which we know to be between 0.10 and 0.18 percent, with an average of 0.16 percent (Eckles, 1951), is very close to the acidity percentage of milk powder samples collected during the experiment.
5.2 Microbiological analysis
5.2.1 Total Viable Bacterial Count (TVC)
37 The total viable bacterial count in a sample is the number of bacteria that can grow and form countable colonies on nutrient agar medium (i.e., Plate Count Agar) after an overnight incubation at 37°C. In this study, the bacterial load in all powdered milk samples ranged from (7.8×104 to 3.3×103) CFU/ml (Table 7). Powdered milk should contain less than 3.0×104 CFU per gram, according to BDS 860: 2020. The maximum bacterial count in dried whole milk is 31,000/g (American Dry Milk Institute, 1971).
The bacterial count of dried whole milk is limited to 20,000/g, according to BSTI.
Except for D for treatment 3 and E for treatment 2 and treatment 3, the bacterial population in all samples was below the maximum range of the BSTI standard (Table 7). Arora (1989) observed that the bacteria count in spray dried skim milk ranged from 2000 to 160,000/g. Powder milk's total viable count ranged from 200,000 to 4,30,000/g (Rahman et al., 1988).
5.2.3 Escherichia coli
Commonly, the presence of coliform bacteria, such as E. coli, in milk is indicative of fecal contamination. In this study, it was determined that none of the collected milk samples contained E. coli. This result is highly compatible with BDS criteria (BDS, 2000).
5.2.4 Staphylococcus aureus
In this study, the results indicated that 4 milk samples among 15 samples were found to be positive for S. aureus. Among 4 positive samples, 1 sample was found positive for coagulase test. Several studies have been conducted to assess the level of contamination of milk with S. aureus obtained from communal and commercial farms.
This higher staphylococcal count in milk samples may be the result of ineffective management and improper hygienic practices carried out during farming, milking, transportation, processing, and preparation of the samples (Zakary et al., 2011).
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