A review of interventions and parameters used to address milk quality in eastern and southern Africa

In the last two decades, there has been abundant research directed at improving milk quality and safety all around the world. While some studies limit milk quality to a limited number of bacteriological parameters, it is not unusual to come across papers where quality is assumed or not quantified. The relevant information on milk quality is rather scattered in sub-Saharan Africa. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive review of studies published in eastern and southern Africa in the past two decades, referring to cow milk quality associated with an intervention. This study reports a systematic categorization of the quality parameters related to various interventions where quality was referred to directly and indirectly. It also shows the variation in number and type of parameters used in assessing milk quality in different countries. The microbial quality of milk was the most common quality parameter examined (19 studies), followed by the milk composition (n = 7), then acidity (n = 6) and adulteration with water (n = 4). However, there was no consistency in the quality parameters used to indicate a change in quality associated with these interventions. It is advisable that future studies use the list of parameters presented in this study to build foundation for comparative assessments of change in milk quality for the respective intervention categories.