Consumption habits of dairy products, pasteurized and unpasteurized, in a college population

Abstract

A study was conducted among students of the Biological and Agricultural Sciences University Center of the University of Guadalajara, with the objective of verifying the knowledge of the risk involved in ingesting unpasteurized dairy products and how this impacts their consumption habits. The study was conducted among students of different majors related to biological and agricultural sciences. Surveys were applied to 237 students of the Agribusiness, Agronomy, Biology, Food Science and Veterinary Medicine and Zootechnics. They were asked how often they consume milk, cheese, cream and yogurt, whether it is a pasteurized product or not, their knowledge of the advantages of pasteurization and the risks of eating unpasteurized products. The results obtained showed that the majority of respondents consume milk, cheese, cream and yogurt (more than 83% in all cases), of which 46-56% consume pasteurized milk, 26 - 40% ultrapasteurized, 9 - 19% unpasteurized. Of the other products, 15 to 30% unpasteurized cheese , 16-26% cream and 3-7.6% yogurt was consumed. Students who are more knowledgeable of pasteurization and the health risks associated with consuming unpasteurized products, are Food Science, Veterinary Medicine and Zootechnics and Biology majors. However, between 27% and 80% would not change their consumption habits because of flavour. Based on the data obtained in the present study, it is concluded that habit and ease of purchase are the strongest reasons behind consuming raw milk and products made with unpasteurized milk, ignoring the risks of consuming them while being aware of the health consequences.