Guidelines for physical, chemical and hygienic quality and safety control of donkey's milk

The requirements of EC Regulation No. 853/2004 for milk should be implicitly applied to donkey’s milk production systems since no safety and quality criteria are at the moment in force for donkey’s milk. Nevertheless, in view of its hopedfor use as food for infants suffering from hypersensitivity to cow’s, sheep’s and goat’s milk protein or frommultiple hypersensitivity, some norms are necessary. The Authors give some criteria and limits for the control of raw donkey’s milk. A more suitable value for plate count is indicated; somatic cells count, pH values, lactose, total nitrogen amounts and freezing point are reported, on the basis of literature results. Furthermore, as for dried infant formulae and follow-on formulae in the EC Regulations No. 2073/2005, some suggestions for limits referring to coagulase + staphylococci, Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes , Cronobacter (former Enterobacter) sakazakii, are indicated as useful “food safety criteria” for the control of raw donkey’s milk. In the Author’s opinion, some legislative amendments in donkey’s milk regulations are necessary.