The effect of the lactoperoxidase (LP) system in combination with container smoking on the microbial quality of goats’ milk was assessed during storage at ambient temperature. The titratable acidity, coliform count (CC) and total bacterial count (TBC) in LP activated milk samples (T2) decreased by 0.13%, 1.6 and 1.33 log10 units, respectively as compared to their respective values in the control (T1) at 7 h of storage. Coliform count and TBC in T2 decreased by 0.33 and 0.20 log10 units, respectively at 7 h of storage as compared to the initial count. When container smoking was combined with the LP system (T4), no acid development was observed in the milk samples. It can be concluded that container smoking combined with the LP system could effectively control microbial growth and extend the shelf life of goats’ milk stored at an ambient temperature by at least 7 h. Key words: Goat milk, lactoperoxidase system, shelf life, smoking.

Helen Nigussie1 and Eyassu Seifu2*