[Indirect methods of determining the amount of cellular elements in bulk cow's milk]

Comparative studies have been carried out to establish the practical value of three indirect methods--Whiteside, Bernburg, and the antiformin one--intended for the rapid determination of the somatic cell count in pooled cow milk. A total of 556 samples of milk from various sources have been studied. The data obtained with the use of the direct method of Prescott and Breed served as control values of the cell elements in milk. A conclusion has been made that the test after Whiteside is the most appropriate one for the rapid determination of the cell count in pooled cow milk: it gives positive results in 100 per cent of the investigated samples having a count of more than 500000 cells. The use of this method is suggested in the case of detecting farms where mastitis is a problem.