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beta-Glucuronidase method to determine mastitis levels in goat milk
Rubén Oliszewski1, Martha Núñez De Kairúz, Silvia González
1Centro de Referencia para Lactobacilos-CONICET, Tucumán, Argentina.
Methods in Molecular Biology (Clifton, N.J.)
|May 25, 2004
Summary
Mastitis, an udder inflammation common in dairy farms, alters goat milk composition, impacting cheese production. Somatic cell count (SCC) is key for detection, but distinguishing true cells from goat-specific particles is crucial.
Area of Science:
- Dairy Science
- Animal Health
- Food Technology
Background:
- Mastitis is a prevalent mammary gland inflammation in dairy animals, primarily caused by microbial infections.
- Infections lead to significant alterations in milk composition, affecting its physical, chemical, and bacteriological properties.
- These changes negatively impact cheese-making efficiency and starter culture performance, highlighting the need for quality raw milk.
Purpose of the Study:
- To emphasize the critical importance of evaluating goat milk quality for industrial cheese production.
- To discuss the role of somatic cell count (SCC) as an indicator for mastitis detection in dairy goats.
- To address the challenges in accurately quantifying SCC in goat milk due to unique cellular components.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on mastitis, milk composition, and somatic cell counting techniques.
- Analysis of the impact of mastitis-induced milk changes on cheese-making parameters.
- Discussion of the cellular components in goat milk, including leukocytes and non-leukocytic particles.
Main Results:
- Mastitis causes decreased levels of essential milk components (lactose, casein, fats, minerals) and increased levels of undesirable ones (serum proteins, chlorides).
- Somatic cell count (SCC) increases during mastitis due to leukocyte migration.
- Goat milk presents unique challenges for SCC due to the presence of large, non-leukocytic cytoplasmic particles that can be mistaken for somatic cells.
Conclusions:
- Accurate assessment of goat milk quality is fundamental for successful industrial cheese production.
- Reliable mastitis detection in goats requires methods that can differentiate true somatic cells from goat-specific cytoplasmic particles.
- Further research into specialized techniques is needed for precise SCC determination in goat milk.