Influence of management and farm characteristics on microbiological quality and physico-chemical features of sheep milk produced in Tuscany farms (Italy)

Tuscany belongs to the Mediterranean area which has unique characteristics related to its climate and cultural conditions; in this geographical area, sheep are primarily bred in semi-extensive or extensive systems. The present study aimed to survey the raw sheep milk produced in sheep farms of Tuscany and to explore the role of different managements in the physico-chemical and microbiological quality of milk. During a farm visit, a questionnaire was used to collect information about handling practices, flock, and management characteristics. A milk sample from the bulk tank was collected. Milk samples were analyzed for fat and protein content and microbiological parameters. Dairy sheep farms (DSFs) with less than 200 sheep showed less quantity of coagulase-positive staphylococci (CPS), coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS), and a higher quantity of pro- tein. DSFs that produced more than 50.000 Kg of milk per year had lower total bacteria counts, and fat and protein content than the others. The number of somatic cells and staphylococci in the milk appears to be reduced by the higher cleanliness of the fleece and the milking parlor, respectively. Our study showed that the micro- biological and physico-chemical quality of sheep milk can be influenced by flock dimension, animal production, and cleanliness of fleece and milking parlor.