Knowledge Transfer from a research institute to rural producers to improve the safety and health conditions of traditional dairy products; Case study - Lighvan cheese

Lighvan cheese is a semi-hard salted cheese that is made without adding any starters and is often made from sheepchr  milk. Since traditional cheeses are made from raw milk, the presence of pathogenic bacteria in cheese is also significant. Lighvan cheese has been produced in the Lighvan area for a long time, but unfortunately many rural producers have not yet realized the importance of hygiene during production. This important issue highlights the need of knowledge transfer to improve the safety of the product to that community. With this approach, the project was implemented in Lighvan village in two stages. Initially, the health status of the existing cheese makers and the processing method in Lighvan area were examined. Then, to solve the health and technical problems of production, corrective measures were presented to the producers. In this regard, 9 cheese makers were randomly selected, of which 3 workshops cooperated to carry out corrective actions (second phase). First, raw milk, fresh curds and cheeses made from the same milk were sampled. The cheese samples were packed in 1 kg cans and stored for 3 months in caves in the area. The same cans were sampled on days 30, 60 and 90 and the were transferred to the laboratory in cold conditions and subjected to chemical, microbial and sensory analysis. The results indicate that the corrective actionss are effective in improving the microbial quality of Lighvan cheese. The authors believe that the knowledge transfer from research institutes (as a knowledge base) to rural producers, can improve the production method and hygienic quality of traditional products, may develop entrepreneurship and ensure the safety and quality of these products. Prosperity of the economic and living conditions of the villagers and the nomadic communities is another goal of this program.