The transmission of diseases through milk is more frequent among people who consume it raw. This study aims to evaluate the microbiological quality of raw cow’s milk, with the goal of contributing to the preservation of consumer health. To achieve this, a survey was first conducted among 20 farmers, 45 vendors, and 70 consumers. Physicochemical and microbiological analyses were then carried out using conventional methods on 45 samples from farms and 27 from markets. Results show that 60% of the cows milked were between 4 and 6 years old. Sixty percent of the cows were fed with grass and organic matter. Milking was entirely manual, with volumes ranging between 6 and 10 litres (60%). Boiling milk is the most commonly used preservation technique (80%). More than 70% of respondents preferred raw milk for its taste (40%) and nutritional quality (25%). Samples taken from farms showed better compliance with standards for pH, titratable acidity, total dry matter and density. An increase in microbial loads was observed from farm to market: 6.8 to 8.7 × 10⁴ CFU/mL; 1.2 to 1.5 × 10³ CFU/mL; 2.8 to 5.2 × 10² CFU/mL; 1.5 to 1.7 × 10³ CFU/mL, respectively for FAMT, CT, E. coli and S. aureus. ASR and Salmonella were not detected, which complies with standards. Training in hygiene and food safety is necessary to ensure the hygienic quality of raw milk.
