7. Microbiological aspects
Goat and sheep milk is perishable and fragile. It
can easily be spoilt if the animals are given unsuitable
feed or are handled in the wrong way before
and during milking, or if the milk is handled incorrectly
during and after milking, including the processes
of cooling and transportation (Haenlein, 1987).
Much more research is needed into somatic cell and
bacteria counts in goat and sheep milk in order to
provide reliable data on bacterial populations and
their origins.