Table 4.
Descriptive features of milk handling, and hygienic practices by the middlemen (n = 109) on the buffalo milk chain in seven districts of Bangladesh
| Variable name | Categories | Number (%) | Mean (Min–Max) | Median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trading experience |
Non-experienced (≤ 5 years) |
2 (2.0) | - | - |
|
Experienced (> 5 years) |
99 (98.0) | - | - | |
| Cooling of milk | No | 100 (95.2) | - | - |
| Yes (Adding ice to the milk during transportation) | 5 (4.8) | - | - | |
| Materials used for covering milk container | Container kept open | 63 (57.3) | - | - |
| Cloth | 1 (0.9) | - | - | |
| Plastic plate | 32 (29.1) | - | - | |
| Aluminum plate | 8 (7.3) | - | - | |
| Banana leaves | 6 (5.5) | - | - | |
| Nature of milk | Buffalo milk | 62 (59.6) | - | - |
| Cow-buffalo mixed milk | 42 (40.4) | - | - | |
| Cleaning frequency of milk containers | Once daily | 65 (64.4) | - | - |
| Twice daily | 36 (35.6) | - | - | |
| Water source used for cleaning the milk container | Pond water | 49 (47.6) | - | - |
| Tube well water | 21 (20.4) | - | - | |
| Tube well water with detergents | 33 (32.0) | - | - | |
| Transport time (in hours) from middleman to milk collection center | - | - | 1.5 (0–8.0) | 1 |