Cow milk has often been associated with good health but the raw milk may not be as beneficial as it seems. A new study found that drinking raw milk can lead to food-borne disease. The research, done by the researchers at the University of California, Davis, found that consumption of raw milk, which is left at room temperature, may lead to food-borne illness.
Over 2,000 milk samples – including raw milk and milk pasteurised in various ways – from different parts of the United States were taken for the study. The researchers found that it may also be a source of bacteria containing transferrable antimicrobial resistance genes when left at room temperature.
For the uninitiated, antimicrobial resistance is the ability of a microbe to resist the effects of antibiotic medication. According to the Centers for Disease Control, almost 3 million people in the United States get affected by antibiotic-resistant infections each year. The findings were published in the journal Microbiome.
“Our study shows that with any temperature abuse in raw milk, whether intentional or not, it can grow these bacteria with antimicrobial resistance genes,” said co-author Michele Jay-Russell, research microbiologist and manager with the UC Davis Western Center for Food Safety. “It’s not just going to spoil. It’s really high risk if not handled correctly,” Jay-Russel added.
The researchers, however, stated that this study had no intention to scare people; rather it was to educate them. “If you want to keep drinking raw milk, keep it in your refrigerator to minimise the risk of it developing bacteria with antibiotic-resistant genes,” said lead author Jinxin Liu, a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Food Science and Technology at UC Davis.
