THE IMPACT OF INCREASED SOMATIC CELL COUNT ON COW MILK ACIDITY AND LACTOSE CONTENT

Milk quality is increasingly important for producers and consumers as it relates to processing, production, and price. The aim of the present study was to determine the relationship between somatic cells count, lactose content, and acidity of cow milk. A total number of 100 milk samples, from cows with mastitis were processed and analyzed. Increasing acidity and decreasing lactose content were correlated with an increased number of somatic cells in the collected milk samples. The lactose ratio decreased as the number of somatic cells in the milk increased, thus leading to an increase in the titratable acidity of the milk. It can be concluded that a higher number of somatic cells adversely affects milk quality and subsequently processing capacity. Lactose content and titratable acidity can be used as indicators as complimentary to monitor udder health and for early diagnosis of subclinical mastitis in milk cows.