Impacts of Milking and Housing Environment on Milk Microbiota

The aim of the present study was to determine the effects of farming environments on microbiota in raw milk and to assess the relationship among microbes by 16S rRNA sequencing methods. Samples of raw milk, cow trough water, teat dip cup, teat, teat liner, dairy hall air, cowshed air, feces, feed, and bedding from two farms were collected. The two highest abundant bacterial groups of Moraxellaceae and Staphylococcaceae were found in milk and teat liner samples, respectively, at Zhengzhou farm, Henan Province. Moreover, the two highest abundant bacterial groups of Enterobacteriaceae and Moraxellaceae were found in milk and teat dip cup samples, respectively, at Qiqihar farm, Heilongjiang Province. Source Tracker analysis revealed that the teat liner and teat dip cup were the most important contributors of microbes in milk samples at Zhengzhou farm and Qiqihar farm, respectively, which could be attributed to the management level of the farm. Therefore, disinfection and cleaning procedures should be developed to improve the quality of raw milk.