Determination of the Effect of Three Libyan Herbal Plants on the Quality and Taste of Milk in Aljfarah District, Libya

Abstract

The current study investigated the effect of selected local herbal plants on the quality and physical organoleptic taste of cow milk. In total, three medicinal plants namely Solanum schimperianum hochst (Zitoun), Olea europaea L (Hadeq) and Acacia etbaica schweinf (Kasha) were chosen. Five different farms in Aljfarah district were selected in the study. Approximately, 5gm of leaves from each plant were collected, cleaned and dried then crushed into powder. A 1800 ml milk sample was collected from the whole-milk container of each farm. 200 ml was used for each treated and control group. A standard fumigation process using charcoal fire was performed on each treated group using the prepared plant powder. The quality of treated milk against each tested plant was estimated by physical testings’ using gustatory and olfactory rank using 45 participants. In total, 40.9% of participants ranked Solanum schimperianum hochst as their first best choice followed by 34.8% for Olea europaea L and 23% chose Acacia etbaica schweinf. Fifty percent of participants have reported better quality of taste and odour of treated milk comparing to control groups. Also, 82% of participants expressed their confidence regarding the effectiveness of herbal plants in improving the quality of milk. In conclusion, herbal plants improved the quality of milk and limited the spoilage process, showing the potential application of herbal plants in milk industry.