Investigation on the Impact of Environmental Pollution on the Contamination of Cow's Milks From two Cattle Farming Areas of Southern Benin -

The present study aimed to evaluate the microbiological characteristics as well as heavy metals (lead and cadmium) contamination of fresh cow milk collected in different cattle farms located in two major cities of southern Benin. Thus, cattle farming sites of Kpinnou (Athieme) and Agro-rock farm of Zinvie (Abomey-calavi) were chosen for collected milk samples. The microbiological characteristics and the content of heavy metals, including lead and cadmium in samples were investigated. The results obtained show that the milk samples collected have microbial flora characterized by the presence of microorganism’s indicator of non-compliance with good hygiene practice. However, no pathogen was detected in milk samples analyzed. The results of toxicology assays showed the presence of heavy metals, including lead in milk samples analyzed, with higher contents than normative requirements. Lead levels recorded in milk samples collected from Kpinnou (0.2207mg/kg), which is located near an Inter-State road, characterized by the increased of road traffic, are however, higher than those recorded in milk samples from the farm sites of Zinvie (0.2014 mg/kg). These results indicated that, notwithstanding the important factors such as the availability of green space and water sources, environmental factors such as geographical location and the intensification of traffic must be taken into account during installation of agro-pastoral farms to ensure the quality of the livestock sub-products.