Comparative analysis of nutritional quality and microbial contamination in camel milk: Evaluating safety and public health risks between camel milk obtained from street vendors and farms in Saudi Arabia

To evaluate the nutritional quality and microbial contamination of raw camel milk sourced from street vendors and compare it with milk obtained from farms, with a particular emphasis on pathogenic organisms.Twenty samples were systematically collected from street vendors and farms between July 2022 and February 2023 and analyzed at King Fahad Medical Research Centre and the Pharmacy College, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The microbial analysis employed culture-dependent techniques for colony-forming unit analysis and isolation of microbial colonies from milk samples. Microbial identification utilized advanced methods, including VITEK-MS equipment and the MALDI-TOF technique. The chemical composition was analysed through enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays.The findings revealed significant differences in microbial loads, with milk sourced from street vendors exhibiting considerably higher microbial counts than farm-sourced milk, including pathogenic species like Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. The results indicated that camel milk from street vendors possessed a higher level of microbial contamination, suggesting potential health risks associated with its purchase and consumption from these sources.This study highlights the urgent need for stringent food safety practices in handling, selling, and distributing camel milk to reduce microbial risks to safe levels, thereby mitigating potential health hazards.