Are Benna’s Ġbejniet safe?
Ġbejniet (cheeslets) made from raw milk (not pasteurised) were commonly associated with outbreaks of the disease Brucellosis (Deni rqiq or Malta fever). The dangerous disease was identified by David Bruce and Temi Zammit as caused by Brucella melitensis in raw milk. At the beginning of the 20th century steps were taken to introduce pasteurisation of milk with the set up of MMU’s pasteurisation plant and an eradication scheme to eliminate infected animals. However cheeselets made from raw milk continued to be a problem. One of the last outbreaks of Brucellosis in Malta occured in 1998 when a number of people were hospitalised after eating infected ġbejniet made from raw goat milk. Apart from Brucella there are a number of other dangerous bacteria (pathogens) such as Salmonella, Listeria and E. coli 0157 that are associated with raw milk products. Many years ago this problem lead to a demand for safer milk and milk products. MDP’s traditional recipe for making ġbejniet goes back to the t
